Full Court Press!
by Elias Pedro
Summary: Nine friends, two bands, one dream. Satoshi and Ritsu both have dreams of performing at Budokan and Ui is particularly enthusiastic. Will the power of love and rock and roll be enough to see them through? Time for a full court press!
1. Prologue, Tip Off

**Author's Notes:** If you are a newcomer to this series, I suggest you read 'Time Out! Substitution!' before reading this fic. Thanks in advance!

Moving on, to everyone who has supported the Time Out! Substitution! project, here is my labor of love to you! The sequel to Time Out! Substitution! is finally here! Chapter 1, commence! Once again, thank you very much and I hope you enjoy it! As in all my works, reviews are appreciated!

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**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 1 – Prologue**

The sun was up and about in suburban Osaka that morning as I lay half-asleep in my bed. With one eye closed, and another looking out to that purple sky slowly turning to blue or yellow or whatever hue you may want to invoke to describe the morning sky. I never really figured out what color it was… but it definitely wasn't periwinkle. Bored by the thought finding the proper color to describe the sky, I stretched and got up from bed with a nice long yawn. Getting up on my feet, my half-asleep self stood before a mirror and sighed. I was wearing my pajamas, not a skirt and blouse… and the fact that the hair on my head was my natural black and not the dirty brown of that wig was reassuring too. Traumatic events like _that_ memorable day have a way of rooting themselves in your daily routine. Making sure I wasn't unconsciously cross-dressing every so often was a point in case. The fact that I actually had a paperback copy of '_Freudian Psychiatry for Dummies_' now in my study was another… It's been about a month since that _grand_ performance at Sakura-gakou's Cultural Festival already, but I'm pretty sure these tiny quirks I developed will be there for quite a long time.

Rubbing my eyes, I took off those pajamas and slipped into the two-piece Gakuran uniform, my actual uniform in my actual school. No ribbons, no frills, no breezy skirts. This was the uniform men are supposed to wear – I take pride in it everyday. Remembering that time I had to walk around school in my sister's uniform was something else after all, but that medal I deserved for practically making my dignity commit suicide hasn't come in the mail yet – it probably never will, oh well. At least it was over.

Now that I was in my uniform again, I stepped out of my room and headed downstairs early. The early bird gets the worm after all… or in this case, the extra cup of rice. Practically running down the stairs, I got on the table eagerly and waited patiently for the spoils of my punctuality.

"You're up early young man." Mom said as she fried fish and eggs on the stove, "And I assume you're heading out early _again_."

"Maybe." I said with a grin as I sank into the dining chair. Mom then put the rice bowl and the dishes she had already finished making before me. "Thanks mom."

"Are you absolutely sure you don't want me to make you lunch though?" Mom asked with a smile

"Yeah, don't worry about it." I reassured as I started to eat. Before I could even taste my first wedge of tamago though, Dad came over from the ground floor master's bedroom and Ritsu came from her room upstairs.

"Tch, he got the extra rice again…" Ritsu muttered

"Yeah…" Dad groaned, "We should get here earlier next time."

What was this, a sustenance embargo or something? I won this extra rice fair and square!

"Well, Satoshi-kun got here first." Mom defended, "So as promised, he gets the extra rice today."

"It's called democracy, people." I joked. Dad's and Ritsu's grumbling stomach however told me they weren't laughing. The two of them just dejectedly took their places on the table and sighed.

"Satoshi-kun's been inspired lately." Dad then laughed, rustling my hair, "Usually, it was me or Ristu who competed for the extra cup."

"Yeah." Ritsu said, remembering that time, "You used to be curled up in bed till fifteen minutes before class."

"What can I say?" I said proudly, "I just really like my food!"

"Whose food exactly, Satoshi-kun?" Mom asked as she joined us at the table, "My cooking or Ui-chan's? Ui-chan has been making your lunches for quite a while now."

Oh dear, they had me cornered. It was a usual occurrence here in the Tainaka household recently, so I already knew how to respond.

"I like both." I laughed, "All food is good, mom."

"Then why have Ui-chan make your lunches?" Ritsu prodded, "Ever since that day…"

Ritsu and my parents then burst into laughter. Ungh… they still remember that day.

"At least she doesn't make you cross-dress." Ritsu laughed harder, "If ever she does, you're free to borrow my headband anytime."

"Shut it…" I said angrily, before laughing myself. That certain conversation piece wasn't exactly my favorite, but looking back at something like that was quite funny. Whether or not that meant I was laughing at myself was another question though. Whatever. It reminded me of that other thing that came about from that memorable day. I asked Ui out and now the two of us were dating. I still can't believe I actually asked her out... but it's all good. At least I know I'm still a healthy guy.

"Ever since that day," Ritsu said, "the two of you have been going out. The girls have been talking about it at school, you know."

"So do my friends at my school… sheesh." I said, "They just won't let it go."

"It's because you've changed, kid." Ritsu said, "You used to be such an apathetic 'I don't care if the world blew up tomorrow' person."

I still was, for the most part, but I didn't tell her that.

"Now though, you're much sweeter." Ritsu teased, "All thanks to Ui-chan."

Ungh… rainbows and butterflies had no place in my dark, cynical world. Ever since Ui-chan came into my life though, that's changed somehow and I've accepted that - that immigration of rainbows and butterflies and all things cute I used to (and still somewhat and always will) despise just won't stop. But it's okay. The dark side never really had cookies anyways. Being with Ui was much sweeter than cookies.

"Just remember these things, son." Dad said, pointing his chopsticks at me for emphasis, "When it comes to relationships, you have to give it your all."

Here he goes again…

"You have to maintain it," he said passionately, "you have to be sweet to her, you have to listen to her, you have to help her whenever she has problems… and you always have to defend her."

What's this? Telling a fifteen year old boy about how to treat his girlfriend…

"I know it sounds silly in this day and age, but until you're willing and able to do those things with all your heart… then you can't call it love. If you truly love each other, then you'll be together no matter what."

"That's right." Mom added, "Your dad and I were married when we were young because we liked each other and wanted to have a family, but we stayed together all these years because we loved each other. There's a difference between liking and loving, Satoshi-kun."

Wait… was she saying she wanted me to get married to Ui? Not this early, mom! Not this early! I still have my whole life ahead of me… though that doesn't mean getting married to her wasn't part of my plan. Let me at least get a stable job first...

"Let's talk about that in the future, shall we." I said with a smile, "We've only been together for a month. Who knows what'll happen tomorrow?"

"It's just a piece of advice, young man." Dad chuckled, "Now finish up. She's probably waiting for you already."

"I'm going too!" Ritsu said, finishing up her own food as well, "I'm walking with Yui and Mio to school today after all – I might as well tag along."

"Right." I said, putting my plates in the sink, "Let's go sis."

"Have a nice day." Our parents said to us as we left. Then we were on our way. What the future holds for me and Ui, I don't really mind. Bring it on! I've been through hell and back already... how much worse could it get?

**To Be Continued**


	2. Breaking the Routine

**Author's Notes: **Government Warning: Overexposure to cuteness may hamper pure logic and may be dangerous to your health. Take in moderation.

Chapter 2 is finally here! Full Court Press! is now officially in full swing! Once again, thank you for your support!

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**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 2**

When I was younger, walking through the side streets of suburban Osaka was pretty much a common routine of mine. It was a tradition, so to speak, one I have honored for a long, long time. Ever since elementary, it was customary for me to walk to and from school and anywhere else in the city through the side streets. It was a time for me to be alone and to contemplate about the subtleties of life, such as whether or not people really care about the little things one does or what double-rainbows really mean… stuff like that.

In that silence, I would come up with the craziest theories and the most cynical remarks becoming who I was and forming the strange concoction that is my mentality. It was like I was constantly debating with myself about these things – a bad sign for my overall mental health even before that incident at Sakura-gakou. I was happy doing that though, so it was a good tradeoff… sorta.

However, after that fateful day, I finally forewent my stimulating self-arguments and solitude for something else… something better perhaps. Recently, I have been walking to school with my big sis Ritsu. Rather than argue with myself now, I found myself arguing with her and our lively banter (to say the least) was a viable substitute for those monologues of mine.

"Hey there pretty boy." Ritsu teased, batting her eyelashes, "I can't believe a wig was all it took to make those guys think you were me! You should've been born a girl, Satoshi-kun!"

"Hah, don't get so cocky now sis." I countered with raised brow, "You do know that also means you kinda look like a guy…"

"Low blow bud, low blow…" Ritsu said, smacking me one. Haha. This was definitely more fun than talking to myself. Times like these clearly showed how much we hated and loved each other at the same time – paradoxes are always fun.

"Just kidding sis," I said, sticking out my tongue, "anyways, this is Mio-senpai's house already right?"

"Yeah." Ritsu said, looking up to the quaint subdivision house, "This is Mio's house."

The next stop in this new route was the home of Mio Akiyama. She lived near us and was Ritsu's best friend so it was natural for her to want to drop by and pick her up. We would then walk together to the Hirasawa household to pick up Yui-senpai and Ui together afterwards. In other words, my old tradition has been effectively replaced by me walking to school with most of _Houkago Tea Time_. Whether or not that was completely a good thing was another thing entirely though…

"So," Ritsu said as we approached Mio-senpai's house, "Want to come inside, or do you want to wait here?"

"I'll wait out here." I said, putting my hands in my pocket and leaning against a wall, "You go on ahead."

"You sure you don't want to go? We've still got some time, you know." Ritsu asked a second time, "She's a friend of mine after all, she wouldn't mind if you came in with me for a while."

"Nah, seriously. I'm good." I said, folding my arms and holding my position, "I'll wait for you guys out here."

"Suit yourself." Ritsu then said, turning around to ring the doorbell.

Oh Ritsu, if only you were there in school that day… That little moment Mio-senpai and I shared with all those dramatic cherry blossoms falling and the gentle breeze and whatnot… I'm sure Ritsu will understand why I'm so hesitant to be around that girl. If she asked me, I'd have a number of reasons up my sleeve.

First of all, she was a drop dead beautiful girl and I'd be acting like an idiot for the most part with her. Second, she was a more skilled musician than I would ever hope to be and that was a little bit too intimidating. Finally, her romantic interest in my sister didn't sit well with me at all. A girl liking another girl in secret like that was just freaky… add the fact that they were best friends and I'd be talking about Freud for the rest of the day again. However, it can't be helped.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Satoshi-kun," Mio said as she and Ritsu stepped back into the side street, "Did we take too long?"

Of course they took too long. They were girls after all – they must have been chatting for the past few minutes or something… but I didn't tell them that.

"Nah, nah." I said shaking my head, "Let's go."

Thus, the three of us were off and the chatter continued.

"Satoshi," Ritsu said ruffling my hair, "you know, Mio's been talking non stop about that performance at Sakura-gakou. She said you were really good."

"Maybe that means I'm getting better than you, sis." I smirked. Ritsu then smacked me another one, "Hey…"

"The two of you are really talented drummers." Mio said, getting in between us, "I think the two of you have your strengths, so it's nothing to fight over."

Mio-senpai, you don't know how often Ritsu and I smart-ass each other everyday. I'm pretty sure she does that in your school too, but that's just a guess. Sighing, I kept my eyes on the road and smiled. Mio then turned to me and asked

"Can't wait to see Ui-chan, huh?"

Of course I couldn't wait to see her! She was the one reason I'm doing all of this nowadays.

"Yeah." I replied with a smile, "Why else would I be here?"

"I see." Mio said, "So, how are you two getting along?"

Why are you asking me this again? You asked me this last week…

"Still going strong." I explained, "Ui's a really sweet girl, and she's caring too. She's everything I've been looking for in a girl."

"Oh… okay."

Somehow, these flowery words were like knives to Mio-senpai. Her smile soured for a second before she turned to neutral and she was quick to change the topic. Was she hoping that things weren't going well? Or, perhaps she was still thinking about that incident? I'll never know… Shrugging, the three of us just walked on down the side streets towards our next destination; the Hirasawa household.

Now, honestly speaking, walking with my sister Ritsu and chatting a bit with Mio-senpai was fun and all, but coming to Ui's house was the main event for me. My heart would pound with a great excitement that no dose of Satoshi cynicism could diffuse. I'd be walking around like a nervous wreck until that majestic moment I see her and hear her angelic voice.

"Good morning Satoshi-kun!"

There she was, Ui Hirasawa, my angel, my flower, my everything! Seeing that warm radiant smile from afar quickened my pace and I rushed over to embrace the girl.

"Good morning Ui-chan."

Oh man, I'm being waaaaay out of character. I'm generally a snarky jerk with a dark humor, but when I'm with her, I feel oddly Quixotic. She was my Dulcinea after all, and I'd charge into a thousand windmills-slash-giants to be with her. I just feel good that Ui is actually real and not a figment of my imagination – my sanity would've crossed the point of no return if that were the case. Here in her arms, I didn't care about anything else.

"Here's your lunch, Satoshi-kun." Ui said, handing me a homemade lunchbox wrapped in cloth. "I made Takoyaki too, your favorite!"

"Takoyaki? Right on!" I said excitedly, "I love Takoyaki almost as much as I love you!"

"Hmph," she huffed, "but you do like me more, right?"

"Of course. You make the best Takoyaki in the world after all… I wouldn't know where I'd be without you." I said with a smile. The girl then kissed me on the cheek and it was all butterflies and rainbows. Happy day~

"Here they go again…" Ritsu whispered to Mio, "makes you wonder what it'll be like when you have your first boyfriend."

"Yeah…" Mio replied weakly, "it does, doesn't it?"

The two of them just watched on as Ui and I talked about whatever the hell was on our minds. It was a happy picture, really, and everything seemed to be fine… well, until the fifth person of our party marched out of the door. Seeing us there, she seemed to be in a really, really bad mood. That time of the month, perhaps?

"Onee-chan!" Ui said, turning her attention to the newcomer, "Are you ready to go."

"Yeah…" Yui Hirasawa, Ui's older sister said as she glared angrily at me, "Let's go Ui."

What was her problem? Don't blame the pangs of natural body functions on me senpai... get a tampon or something.

"Do you have _my_ lunch too?" Yui asked her sister

"Of course!" She said, handing Yui her lunchbox, "I made sure to make some extra sweet potato tempura for you!"

"That's my Ui!" Yui said, embracing Ui happily. As she did though, she glared at me again and whispered, "What are _you_ looking at?"

Damn… what the hell was this? She never acted like this until now… She would just walk out of the house late and then join us on our walk. Why was she getting worked up all of the sudden… more importantly, why was she so pissed off at _me_? Yui then dragged Ui away from me and the two of them went on ahead of us.

"I'll text you later Satoshi-kun!" Ui called out from her sister's clutches, "And I put the sauce next to the rice, okay? I love you!"

"Yeah, I love you too!" I called back. Hearing this last-minute exchange though, Yui dragged her sister along faster and before I could say anything else, the two of them were gone.

"Seems it's just the three of us then." Ritsu shrugged, "What was that about, you think?"

"Well… Yui really loves Ui, you see." Mio said, rubbing her chin, "The two of them were inseparable, if I remembered correctly… now that she has a boyfriend…"

"There's bound to be friction…" Ritsu groaned, "But she wasn't like that till now…"

"Maybe she only found out about it just now…" Mio added, "We talked about it all the time, but Yui must have thought we were just joking."

Knowing Yui-senpai, she probably thought it was a joke… It only hit her now.

"Sheesh…" I sighed, "Now Yui-senpai's pissed off at me."

"Ah well, she'll simmer down after a while." Ritsu reassured, "She tends to overreact when it comes to things she really cares about… so I say you should wait it out."

"Yeah, maybe." I sighed. The three of us then walked down the path the five of us were supposed to take together. We reached my school, which was on the way to Sakura-gakou and we went our separate ways.

Holding on to the cloth-wrapped lunchbox Ui gave me, I wondered what I should do next. I can't live with the sister of my girlfriend wanting to tear my limbs apart like that… Yui-senpai, as airheaded and amiable as she may be, was scary when she's mad… beware the nice ones indeed. This'll be a hassle. Just then, a friend of mine called out to me.

"Hey-yo Satoshi-kun."

It was Francis Suzuki, a half-Japanese, half-Canadian who was one of my friends here in my school. Just as I was about to greet him though, he quickly cut me off and got to business.

"We need you in the press room pronto, man." He said in a serious tone, "They moved the deadline earlier than planned... we'll need that column done by this evening."

"You need me to finish the editorial today?" I gasped, "Dude! I know I'm a prolific writer, but I can't just spurt out thousands of words of apathetic, leftist, sarcastic commentary about the inefficiency of the school like that..."

Well, noting the inefficiency of my school, it wasn't exactly that hard to come up with something... But given the time frame, it wasn't going to be an easy task.

"Well, you'll have to try man." He said, "I'll help you out... and hey, you've got your girlfriend's lunch to keep your spirits up, eh?"

"Fine, fine..." I groaned. With my future sister in law hating my guts, my sister's best friend being romantically confused and everything else though, I wondered if I could make it through today in one piece. Could I cross-dress my way out of this one? Maybe not... bummer. Hmm... what if I... Yeah. That'll work out. Time for some blitzkrieg writing.

**To Be Continued**


	3. Trouble At The Bench

**Author's Notes: **College has been stressful recently and with upcoming midterms, expect delays in the updates of FCP! For now though, Chapter 3 is here! I hope you guys enjoy reading this and feel free to review! Elias, out!

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**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 3**

Dismissal Time at the Osaka West Public High School press room. Francis Suzuki and I were seated before a network computer that took forever to boot up. Francis and I have been waiting for three minutes or so and the two of us were getting impatient. For a while, the two of us were compelled to shut down the computer in John Freeman style, but the damages bill we would have had to pay was rather unappealing. Groaning, we sadly crossed that option off from our minds. Rather than stay silent the whole time though, Francis quickly turned to me and asked the question that had been on his mind for a while now.

"So tell me something Satoshi… how does a jerk like you end up with an angel like Ui Hirasawa?"

Just then, the computer finally booted. Ignoring the man's query, I turned my attention to the now operational computer.

"Took it long enough." I said, not answering Francis' question at all. My friend grunted, knowing that I intentionally avoided answering. Hearing the incessant snarls of the other members of the press too, I realized they were all listening in and waiting for my answer – all the more reason to keep it to myself. It was more fun that way.

"Never mind…" Francis said with a sigh, giving up on questioning me any further "Let's just get this over with shall we?"

The silent treatment worked like a charm. Opening what fraction of my part of the column I had already finished, I cracked my fingers and the two of us got to work. Half an hour of typing and vociferous oral editing later, my stomach suddenly grumbled in protest – that stupid school assembly earlier pretty much ate up lunch break after all so I haven't even had lunch yet. Luckily, the lunchbox that Ui had prepared for me was still with me so I picked it up and popped it open. The moment I took of the lid, the pleasant smell of Takoyaki and steamed rice reached my nose and soothed my tired soul – the same effect Ui had on me whenever I was around her. It's quite funny how her essence appears in the food she prepares… just like the way my essence is present in my editorial column. Looking at it that way, I've got a few theories why the principal hates my column… but I won't ponder on that too much.

"Oh right," Francis said as he too took out a sandwich to munch on as he worked, "you still have your girlfriend's lunch… lucky bastard."

Along with my friend's jealous remark, his eyes were fixated on the contents of the lunchbox Ui had prepared for me. The Takoyaki was cut into heart-shaped pieces and the side-dishes were prepared in such a way that no straight male regardless of cooking experience would be willing or able to produce. His brow twitched as I dug into the food with the chopsticks on my left hand and typed with my right in tandem. He must have been wondering how a cynic, like me, was able to stand eating something indistinguishable from happiness and sunshine. He must have thought I was going to shrivel up and smoke like a demon showered in holy water. I wasn't that dark… at least, I didn't think I was. The principal would beg to differ though.

"You've changed, you know that." Francis said as he leaned back into his chair

'"What makes you say that?" I asked, most of my attention still focused on the computer before me, "I'm still the same old me…"

"I know, I know." Francis said, "It's just that ever since you started dating Hirasawa, you've been different."

He then rubbed his chin and said,

"You've been happier recently. That's what I mean."

"Girlfriends have a way of changing a man, France." I laughed, saving my work and turning to him, "I'm not really that passionate about romance and all that crap the media sells as love but loving someone and being loved kinda… gives me something to look forward to."

"You're inspired." Francis said with a smile, "I never thought I'd see the day..."

"Shut up." I groaned, getting back to work, "I said that in the heat of the moment…"

"In any case," Francis said folding his arms, "I'm looking for a girlfriend myself. Always thought I'd have one before you, but oh hell, things happen."

Was he saying me ending up with Ui was a fluke? Francis…

"Sakura-gakou girls are rumored to be hard to get, being an all-girl's school and all." Francis noted, "But you go in and date Hirasawa as if it were nothing!"

"It's a long story France…" I groaned, "I didn't just waltz in there and ask her out, you know."

Well, basically I did waltz into Sakura-gakou, but I was wearing my sister's uniform then. That was a detail my friend here didn't need to know right now. Francis then leaned to the side of his chair and whispered to me.

"I've been meaning to try and ask Mio Akiyama out," Francis said in a dreamy voice, "but I never had the courage to actually go out and do it. She's a beautiful girl, cultured and refined… maybe she's the nice type too. That's the feeling that I get."

Hearing all of this from him made me cringe. Um… dude, I wouldn't chase after Mio-senpai if I were you. Going after her would be like running into a brick wall… unless you were a girl of course. Whether or not cross-dressing is a plus factor for her is another thing too - her preference would be quite creepy if she did.

"Azusa-chan might be good too." Francis then added, "She's pretty and devoted to music… I wouldn't mind dating her either."

Naturally, I would have agreed with him and maybe slapped on a few more superlatives to give justice to Azusa-chan's prettiness and music-orientation but after my experience in Sakura-gakou, I learned to think otherwise. From the moment she enjoyed being embraced by Ui (who was acting like Yui-senpai at the time), I knew something was fishy about her too. Were these Sakura-gakou girls mental cases or something? Freud never really appeared to me much in my younger days, but when I was with them that day, he was everywhere… that says something about them, perhaps.

"You know what," Francis then laughed, "I kinda even like your sister Ritsu. She's…"

"Don't describe her to me, I see enough of her at home…" I snarled. "And there's no way I'm letting you date my sister!"

Well, what do you know. Even tomboys have their admirers…

"Just saying, man." Francis shrugged, "Don't get so defensive!"

Rebuffing Francis' intentions on the spot, I suddenly remembered how Yui-senpai dragged Ui away from me earlier this morning… I guess I can see why she did that. She's almost as protective as me! That protectiveness however wasn't to my advantage. I could only sigh.

"What's up man?" Francis then said, "You look a little troubled all of the sudden."

"Me, troubled?" I said, getting back to my typing, "Not really. I was just thinking about how poorly maintained the third floor bathrooms are around here. Have you read all the graffiti in the stalls? Oh, and the urinals… don't get me started on the urinals."

"You know, whenever you change the topic like that, I know you're lying." Francis smirked, "Besides, you never gave a damn about the graffiti and the urinals, eh?"

In the aftermath of my experience in the bathroom in Sakura-gakou though, I might have developed some concern for them… somewhat, but that wasn't the point here.

"Something up with you and Ui?" Francis asked. He got me hook line and sinker. It was futile to deny when he smelled blood… he should be a lawyer or something.

"Yeah, you could say that." I groaned, saving my work a second time and leaning on the desk, "What do you do when the sibling of the girl you like practically hates your guts?"

"Ohh… relative feud." Francis noted, "That's a tricky one, eh?"

"I know, right?" I said, "I mean, Yui-senpai is a really sweet girl… but this morning…"

Ungh… remembering how Yui-senpai acted that morning was too strange to mention.

"She doesn't like the fact that you're dating Ui, huh?" Francis gleaned… damn, he'd be an awesome lawyer. I'd love to have him as my attorney-in-law someday, but I'd appreciate it if I could live a life without ever seeing a subpoena with my name on it... Sighing, I gave him a nod.

"Well, there's two things you could do." Francis said, raising two fingers up in front of me, "You could confront Yui Hirasawa as soon as possible to get things settled between you two… though if she's pissed off, that'll be tantamount to suicide."

I agree. I totally agree.

"Or, you could wait it out, eh?" Francis said, "Let her get her thoughts straight, and maybe she'll consider listening to you rather than tearing your limbs off on sight."

Come to think of it, Ritsu told me about that too… but I guess if I want to get things straight then I'll have to talk to Yui-senpai one time or another.

"I'll wait." I said, getting back to my work again, "I'm not in a rush after all, and I don't want to die yet."

"Good man." Francis smiled

"Thanks dude." I said, typing in the finishing touches. "And… done!"

"See." Francis said, "I knew you could do it. I didn't even have to help you too much, eh?"

True enough, Francis pretty much just sat there all the time pointing out punctuation errors and stuff. Hearing him and his signature Canadian 'eh?' in rapid succession was something else, but, ah hell, he can do whatever the hell he wants. He's half-Canadian for Christ's sake... he wouldn't be one if he didn't say 'eh?'. Anyways, the work is done and that's all that matters to me.

"So I'll be going home now, man." I said, e-mailing the file to our editor and collecting my things, "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah." Francis said, getting up as well, "See you tomorrow."

Bidding everyone else in the press room that wasn't hostile to me farewell, I headed out of the school and went straight home. Fishing out my cellphone, I smiled as I read through the text messages Ui and I had been exchanging all that time. Even Francis didn't notice it… hehe, I'm a texting ninja. As soon as I texted about how Yui-senpai was holding up though, Ui's reply wasn't very encouraging.

"_Onee-chan still won't let it go…, I'm sorry Satoshi-kun. She's really like that sometimes."_

Ah well, what can I do? I guess I really do have to wait it out. Bummer. I got home then quickly locked myself up in my room, waiting for Ui's next text. For a good few hours or so, Ui didn't reply and I grew anxious by the second. Then,

"Satoshi-kun! Dinner!"

Sighing, I got on my feet and trod downstairs.

"And, I get the extra rice this time around!" Ritsu said victoriously as Mom set the rice bowl beside her. "Oh, hey Satoshi-kun. Beat you this time, hah!"

"Whatever." I groaned, pulling up a chair and sitting down. Extra rice wasn't enough to cheer me up at a time like this...

"You seem under the weather today Satoshi-kun." Mom said as she joined us at the table, "Is there something troubling you?"

"Oh, about that." Ritsu said before I could say anything, "Yui's kinda mad at Satoshi-kun here. She doesn't like Ui-chan going out with him."

"Oh my." Mom gasped, "That's terrible news."

Terrible was an understatement. This was a living hell. Cut the happiness cord of a cynic on the road to reformation and you get this confusion I was feeling right now.

"Satoshi-kun is a good boy." Mom then said, "I don't see why Yui-chan would hate him… unless you've been treating Ui-chan badly."

"Hell no." I denied adamantly, "I treat her like a princess, man! There's no way I'd mistreat her!"

"Nice choice of words." Ritsu giggled

"Shut up." I said, rubbing my forehead, "I know that I'll have to wait it out before talking to her, but if she's that mad at me, do you think she'll listen?"

"I'm pretty sure she would." Mom said in a reassuring voice, "I mean, Ritsu was okay with you dating Ui-chan… and so was your father and I."

The thing is, Ritsu here is my sister. That means, like me, she doesn't really give a damn about these kinds of things. She was quite the cynic herself at times – a mischievous cynic, but a cynic nonetheless.

"Well," Mom then said, "if your love for Ui-chan is true, and you're willing to fight for it, then I assure you Yui-chan will listen."

"Hopefully you're right." I sighed. Just then, my cellphone rang – I got a text message.

"_Satoshi-kun, good news! Onee-chan wants to talk. Could you come over tonight?"_

"Yui-senpai wants to talk." I smiled as I read the text, "You guys were right."

"See!" Ritsu said happily, "You should learn to trust us too!"

"Yeah." I laughed, "I'll try to do that more often."

"So finish up Satoshi-kun." Mom said in a cheerful tone, "You can go after dinner."

"Right."

Digging into my dinner, I ate as fast as I possibly could and prepared to head out to the Hirasawa household. Ritsu wanted to accompany me, but I told her I could handle this. This was my problem after all, I had to deal with it myself… Besides, Ritsu wouldn't do anything useful there anyways other than hogging the snacks.

I got into my regular clothes then headed posthaste to Ui's house. There were wings on my feet and a smile on my face as I walked. Yui-senpai was finally willing to accept me as her sister's suitor? Awesome! Today wasn't going to suck so hard after all. As soon as I got to the front yard of the Hirasawa household though, a figure was waiting for me… a figure I didn't expect to be waiting for me. It was Yui-senpai, still bearing that same sour face from earlier… and she was holding Ui's cellphone. Wait a sec… so she was the one who sent that message earlier? And what was that thing she was holding? A shopping bag?

"Well hello, Satoshi-kun." She said in a devious voice that was almost scary, "Would you like to come on in?"

Oh crap, what was this all of the sudden? What was going to happen to me now? Beware the nice ones… beware the nice ones indeed!

**To Be Continued**


	4. Hirasawa Conflict Resolution Theory

**Author's Notes: **Why is it that I'm more psyched to study for an exam when it's actually closing down on me? Is it more exciting? Do I work better under pressure? Or am I really just a procrastinator? I'll never know.

Anyways, With exactly 24 hours before my first midterm exam, I finished studying and finished Chapter 4. All hail multitasking! This will be the last chapter I'll update for a while. Studies call, people. I'll be back in business by the 26th. :D. Hope you guys enjoy this one too, and reviews are appreciated! Onwards!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 4**

"_Well hello Satoshi-kun. Would you like to come on in?"_

It was 10:15 PM, Japanese Standard Time. The winds were chilly and dark clouds covered the sky. There at the front lawn of the Hirasawa household, a silent stand-off was taking place. With our eyes locked, I stood face to face with my Ui's elder sister, Yui Hirasawa.

The elder Hirasawa wore a smile on her face, a smile that sent chills down my spine. I knew all too well that she was still freaking pissed off at me. That being said, her usually pleasant smile was unsettling to say the least. It was the same effect a smiling Joker had on his next victim – you know something's going down in that sick mind of his.

_Dark Knight_ references aside, what the hell was she planning to do? The sound of the shopping bag she held on to rusting in the wind didn't help either… what did she have in there? Groceries? A body bag? At least it wasn't a home improvement bag… knowing she didn't have power tools on her made me feel a little better. Not by much, but definitely a little better. Power drills always creeped me out anyways.

Finally, there was that other thing she was holding on to, a distinct cellphone my senpai had in her hand – Ui's cellphone. Why the hell does she have it?

"I borrowed it from her," she said with a wicked grin, "got a problem with that?"

You know what; I have a _big ass_ problem with that. The only reason I came rushing here to this place was because I thought I was called out by my Ui, you know! But I didn't tell her that. Since I rushed here, I forewent bringing my cellphone… calling in the cavalry (namely Ritsu) was now an impossibility. Why did I have to go alone?

Now it was clear - it was Yui-senpai who summoned me here tonight. Whether her intentions were diplomatic or lethal, it was too early to discern. If she really did want to talk, she would have at least texted me with her own cellphone right? I didn't like this, not one bit. I didn't want to deal with this right now… I'm going home.

"You know what, it's getting late senpai…" I said, doing a full 180, "I… uh, was just passing by."

"You know Satoshi-kun," she said in a heavily sugared voice, "I really did want to… _talk_ about something. There's a matter we need to… _resolve_."

As she said those words, the heavens thundered and the lightning illuminated Yui's face in an eerie light. Damn, she was scary! How much more lamp shading did I need here? I knew she wanted to rip my guts out… I knew that all too well. However, I figured that if I was screwed anyways, I might as well face her now.

"Alright senpai, let's talk." I said, facing her again, "I think there are quite a few issues we need to discuss."

"Indeed," she said, drawing her house key, "but let's talk inside, shall we? It's much more…_ quiet_ there."

Another rumble of thunder in the horizon then came and whatever remnants of my fortitude were threatening to go AWOL. Here it was; the invitation. It was the first step in many of the murder flicks I've watched. The suspect invites the victim to come with him or her to a more secluded place, such as their house, where he or she has a better chance of killing the victim without anyone noticing… it was a classic I didn't feel like admiring at the moment. Nonetheless, I had to get to the bottom of this. I'll go inside, but I just need to keep my distance. If I do that, I'll be fine.

"Please, come with me." She said in that same sugary voice. She then locked the door behind her. Argh… seems I won't be able to go out that way so easily. There was no turning back now…

Yui-senpai then led me to the kitchen. When her back was turned to me, I could see her free hand curled into a fist, shivering violently. She was mad, I could tell that much… but the question was why? I never treated Ui badly at all… as weird as it may sound coming from a jerk like me, I loved her and didn't want any harm to come to her. As a matter of fact, if anyone ever hurt her, it's going to fucking rain blood! Looking at it that way though, Yui-senpai might be on the same wavelength as me. The only problem was it was probably my blood she wanted to spill. That sense of solidarity between wasn't exactly comforting. One false move and I'll have my teeth smacked in with Gui-tah. Even though I was a bit of a musician myself, death by guitar isn't exactly a good way to go… I really need to be careful.

"So Satoshi-kun," Yui then asked, stopping in her tracks without turning back, "do you love my dearest sister Ui?"

Her back was still turned to me, but I could see her face puffing up. The sugar in her voice was starting to dilute. Playtime was over. This was it.

"I do." I said firmly, stopping as well

"Are you willing to fight for her?" Yui then asked with her back still turned, "To the death?"

My heart beat wildly as I heard this… just as I thought, she wanted to fight me. Oh joy – where's a gunblade when you need one? Gulping down my anxiety, I steeled my stance and said,

"Yes."

Hearing my response, the girl then quickly paced forward, dropping the shopping bag on the counter then heading for the knife rack by the sink. Argh, knives! I knew it! Why does it always have to be knives! Every single Yandere anime I see, it's knives! Why did I have to watch _School Days_ last week? Now I was face to face with my very own _Sekai_, how fun was that? Clenching my fists, I waited for the inevitable charge. The charge however, never came.

Rather than run at me, the girl walked slowly towards me with the two knives in hand, still starting angrily at me. Judging by the way she held the knives, she wasn't planning to stab me. She then handed me one of the knives and said,

"I challenge you to a no-crying contest! First one to cry has to give up Ui!"

"No-crying contest?" I asked. I wasn't really sure how to react to that – stab at each other to see who cries first... Is that why she gave me a knife too? So I have a fighting chance? As gentlemanly as duels usually are, a knife-fight isn't exactly going to end well for either of us… Take twenty paces away from each other then run at each other with knives and cut each other like enraged monkeys. Very gentlemanly indeed. however, that wasn't what she had in mind.

"We're going to chop onions," she said, showing me the contents of the shopping bag, "_lots_ of onions."

Chopping onions? What the hell man! She called me out late at night to chop onions and to see who cried first? The funny thing was, when Yui-senpai finally declared her ulterior motive, she didn't flinch. She was dead serious about chopping onions, which wasn't as much an ulterior motive as, let's say, chopping my head in two… This was for the better I guess.

Looking into her serious face, I wasn't really scared of her anymore… just amazed. Apparently, this was her way of exacting revenge. When Ritsu told me about how airheaded Yui-senpai was back then, I could see she wasn't kidding. An onion chopping contest isn't a fight to the death, Yui-senpai… it'll be a pain on the eyes, but no one's going to die. Hopefully. Nonetheless, this was still a contest with our honor at stake. I've been called out and I've been challenged. I'm not going to lose to her. Thus began our epic onion chopping contest.

"First one to cry loses!" Yui declared furiously, "If not, the one who chops more onions wins! The loser has to obey and do anything the winner wants, such as staying away from Ui the rest of your life!"

So her demands were already set in stone, huh... This'll be tough. We drew an onion each and started chopping. As silly as the whole shenanigan sounded, that was one consequence I wouldn't dare accept. I loved Ui, I won't give her up just like this. I can chop onions alright – I'll chop all these onions! I'm not going to lose to you Yui-senpai!

**CHOP!**

The moment my knife sliced through the first onion though, that mildly unfriendly itch in the eye was quick to manifest itself. With every chop, the itch got worse and worse and as the large onion became shallots, my eyes started to water. Turning over to Yui-senpai, she too was determinedly holding back the onion-induced tears… she didn't want to lose either.

We finished our first onion at roughly the same time and the two of us reached into the shopping bag for our second. We hit each other's hands and glared at each other, but quickly got back to the task at hand. Petty violence wouldn't resolve this conflict now (though a nice clean knife throw would end the completion plain and simple). In that moment, the only thing we could think of was chopping more onions than the other and holding back those onion tears. Loud, rapid chops echoed through the kitchen, along with the occasional sniff and gasp for air. It was getting intense.

"I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP UI!" Yui-senpai cried, chopping her eighth onion with one eye closed

"I'M NOT GIVING HER UP EITHER!" I cried back, squinting as I finished my eighth and reached for my ninth.

With the spray of about eighteen onions filling up the general area, keeping both our eyes open became a chore rather than a necessity. Our clothes were soiled in onion juice and bits of shallot and our eyes were bloodshot from onion irritation. The two of us were now shouting at each other, declaring our dedication to our task, but also to keep our minds off the pain. At this point, I wouldn't have minded a knife fight – it would have ended rather quickly. Chopping onions like this was a excruciating task, and I can see the rationale as to why Yui-senpai chose this task… she can think logically after all. I shouldn't have underestimated her.

In the midst of all that, the sound of the chopping slowed down and grew weaker. Rather than run towards the bag for our next onion, we struggled to even reach the bag. Our eyes were barely open and we couldn't really see where we were going anymore. We were at nineteen onions apiece and the two of us could cry at any moment. It was when we tried to reach for our twentieth that the contest finally came to an end.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!"

It was Ui. Though I couldn't see her from where I was, I recognized the voice.

"Ui!" Yui sniffled, trying to walk over to where Ui's voice came from, but she tripped.

"Onee-chan!" Ui gasped, braving the harsh air to tend to her beloved sister

"I don't want you to leave me Ui…" Yui said, letting go of her knife and embracing her sister, "I don't want you to leave me…"

I couldn't see what was going on, but my heart started pounding all of the sudden. Tears welled up in my eyes, not only because of the onions anymore. It was because of a realization. Yui-senpai truly loved her sister… she was just afraid to lose her. My knife fell to the floor and I dropped to my knees, crying. I lost the battle, I cried first. Not long after, Yui-senpai cried too, our sobs filling the room. Now that the contest was over, neither of us had to hold back our feelings anymore. We cried and cried till we couldn't cry anymore.

As we cried, Ui dutifully helped the two of us up and guided us out of the onion-fumed room and into the hallway. She then opened up the windows and got an electric fan running to blow out the irritable fumes. After a few minutes in neutral air, our eyes were soothed somewhat and our vision normalized.

"What were you two thinking?" Ui then scolded, facing the two of us with a stern face, "You shouldn't chop that many onions in such a small room!"

"But Yui-senpai…" I said, trying to reason my way out, but Ui would have none of it

"You still shouldn't have done that Satoshi-kun!"

Ui then turned to Yui and said,

"Onee-chan, I don't know what you were trying to prove here, but this was too much."

"I'm sorry Ui…" Yui apologized weakly, "I just thought that… I just thought that…"

Just then Yui-senpai cried again and was too overwhelmed to continue her answer. Ui sighed then faced us again and said, "You two should take a bath. You'll feel better afterwards."

She then looked at our clothes and said that she would put them in the laundry too. Nodding to her, Yui-senpai was led to one bathroom while I was led to another. As much as I would like to avoid taking a bath in another person's house, I was going to make this one exception. Being covered in onion juice and all, I didn't feel comfortable at all. Putting on a towel, I handed Ui my clothes from behind the door then prepared the bathtub. I sunk into the pool of warm water and closed my tired eyes, pondering about that insanity that had just transpired between me and Yui-senpai. A good forty minutes or so later, I head a knock on the bathroom door.

"I'll leave your clothes out here, okay Satoshi-kun?"

"Thanks Ui." I called out from the tub, "I'll be done in a second."

Draining the tub then taking a quick shower, I dried myself up and reached for my express-cleaned clothes. I put them on and headed out of the bathroom. There, Ui was waiting for me.

"You feeling better now?" She asked

"Yeah, the bath really helped." I said, scratching my head, "Thanks for cleaning my clothes."

"No problem." Ui said with a smile, "But tell me… what was that all about, Satoshi-kun? Why did onee-chan do this to you? And why did you agree to do it?"

"I was just thinking about that actually…" I said, shoving my hands into my pockets, "I think she's just really afraid to lose you."

"Lose me?" Ui asked

"Yeah, lose you." I repeated, "She thinks that now that we're going out, I'm a sort of rival or something like that…"

"Oh, I see…" Ui said a little sadly, "but why did she have to do that?"

"It's because she wants to defend her beloved sister. That's what I think." I said with a smile, "She'd do anything and everything to keep her safe."

"Making you chop onions is a little too much though…" Ui argued

"Well, I thought so too at the start, but thinking about it, she just wanted to make sure you don't get hurt." I explained, "Ritsu would do the same for me – if something happened to me, heads are going to roll."

"Knowing Ritsu-senpai, she might just do that." Ui chuckled, "But I can see what you mean."

"So, now I know what I have to do." I said to Ui with a smile, "Is Yui-senpai done yet?"

Ui nodded then led me to where Yui-senpai was.

"Oh right." Yui said the moment she saw me, "I won the contest. That means you'll have to do whatever I ask you to do."

"I understand that." I said, facing her determinedly, "But before that, would you hear me out?"

Yui-senpai wanted to retort, but I spoke regardless. I told her about just how much I loved Ui, talking in the most Quixotic fashion I could muster. As painful it was for me to say so many flowery things in sequence, it was the truth in my heart and it flowed out naturally. Yui-senpai looked at me with awe as she listened to my words, and the fierce look in her eyes slowly crumbled away. I reassured her that I wasn't going to hurt Ui, and that if ever I did, Yui-senpai had the exclusive rights to kick my ass. Then I bowed down to her and said,

"Please let me stay with Ui, Yui… nee."

"Yui-nee…" Yui repeated in a daze

"Yeah," I said firmly, "Please."

Yui-senpai was at a loss for words as she looked down to me. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She then turned to Ui for assurance, but she just smiled at her calmly. Yui-senpai's frown now weathered into a smile; her genuine smile. One of true happiness rather than murderous intent. Yui-senpai then bent down to my level and said,

"Since I am the winner of the contest, I decide what you have to do."

"I'll do anything." I said, still facing the floor

"From now on." She said, asking me to straighten up, "You have to call me 'Yui-nee', got it?"

"What?"

"You heard me." Yui-senpai said determinedly, "Yu-i-nee."

"That's all I have to do?" I asked, surprised by her seemingly simple demand.

"Yeah." She then said with a smile, "That's all."

"Very well…" I said taking a deep breath, "Thank you, Yui-nee."

"Kya~!" Yui-senpa… uhm, Yui-nee squealed, "So cute!"

Phew. She's not pissed off anymore. Seems I'm going to have to get used to calling her 'Yui-nee' from now on.

"But remember our agreement." Yui-nee reminded, "Hurt my beloved Ui and I have the exclusive rights to hurt your behind."

"I got it." I laughed. I then checked my watch and saw that it was already 1AM, the next day. "Oh man, I gotta go!"

Bidding farewell to the Hirasawas, I unlocked the front door and headed back home.

"Take care now," Yui-nee called out as I left, "little bro."

And with that simple exchange, I became an honorary member of the Hirasawa household. This has been a crazy day. I needed some sleep. I'm pretty sure I won't wake up in time to get the extra rice this morning, but what the hell. I can live with that. Quickening my pace, I hurried back to my house for some well deserved rest.

Along the way though, I happened to pass by the Akiyama household. There on the second floor of the house, a single room was still lit and a silhouette of Mio Akiyama, presumably wearing those earphones of hers, was sitting before a computer. What was she doing this late at night? I had a few theories… but I'd rather not think about that now. Shrugging, I just went on my way.

Today was a new day after all, I want to enjoy it.

**To Be Continued**


	5. And So, We Played On The Same Team

**Author's Notes:** Midterms went way better than expected and the last midterm I have to tackle won't be a problem at all. That being said, Elias is back to writing! Updates for FCP! will therefore resume. Glad to be back guys, glad to be back.

Here you go, Chapter 5!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 5**

"Please Mr. Tainaka, have a seat," said a man, lighting a cigar in a dark nondescript psychiatry office somewhere in the world "I'm not sure if you know me, but I am Dr. Sigmund Freud, a psychiatrist specializing in psychoanalysis, and you, kind sir, are in my office."

Oh, I know you Freud... I know you very well. I know you too well. There's no need to introduce yourself to me... Exactly why I was here though was something I couldn't seem to figure out at the moment... No use thinking of that now though. Let's see where this goes.

"Let's get back to business here." Freud then said, "I will show you a series of ink blots and I want you to tell me what you see."

Sigmund Freud showing me ink blot slides... how classic. The man took out the first ink blot. Was that an onion?

"Onion." I said plainly.

"Interesting…" Freud said, taking out the second blot, "What about this one?"

"Onion." I said again. Why the hell was he showing me onions? Was he messing with me again today? It took me a month of immersion in moeblob anime to ward off the famous psychiatrist. After that epic onion-chopping contest at the Hirasawa household though, here he was again.

Rather than having him whisper things in my ear though, I was sitting right in front of him now. I was so freaked out by the almost-Yandere Yui and the oh so unpleasant onion spray that my subconscious defense mechanisms summoned Freud to do damage control... There were two peculiarities about this little subconscious session of mine though – of all the psychiatrists in the world, dead or alive, why Freud, and why was he showing me onions?

"Alright Mr. Tainaka," Freud said showing me a third blot, "what do you see now?"

By this time, I wasn't really looking at the blot anymore, expecting to be shown yet another onion. In the corner of my eye though, I saw the blot and it somehow resembled a person.

"It's a human being." I said, puzzled by the sudden break of pattern.

"A human being huh..." Freud said, his intrigue peaking, "We're getting somewhere here... does it resemble anyone you know?"

Taking a closer look at the blot, there was a sense of familiarity about it.

"It looks like..."

Before I could say anything though, Freud disappeared in an instant and a rocking sensation overcame me.

"WAKE UP KID!" A loud voice cried out. Opening my eyes, I was lying in my bed being shaken to consciousness by my big sister Ritsu. Just as I thought, it was just a dream. Looking dazedly into her eyes I muttered,

"Onion..."

Hearing my sleepy words, Ritsu burst into laughter, making my already confused self even more confused.

"You were chopping onions all night, weren't you?" Ritsu smirked, "That's why you came home so late."

Wait a sec... I don't remember telling Ritsu about that. She saw my appalled reaction and was quick to clarify

"You were talking in your sleep buddy." Ritsu smiled. She then started imitating my voice dramatically, "_Onions... onions~, why so many onions? I wanna go home..."_

"How did you..."

"Talked to you while you were sleeping." Ritsu explained, showing me my _Freudian Psychiatry for Dummies _book, "It actually works. I skipped the hypnosis part, but it works!"

So that's why Freud was there... Ritsu...

"Hey, at least I didn't go _Inception_ on you." Ritsu groaned

"Thank goodness you didn't." I laughed. I'd be worried if I started having dreams starring Leonardo DiCaprio… though I wouldn't mind seeing Ellen Page… moving on…

"But is it true?" Ritsu then asked, "Did that really happen?"

If I've been telling her about it subconsciously for the past few minutes, then denying it wouldn't be of any help. Besides, Ritsu would be one of the few people I could trust with these sorts of things.

"Yeah..." I said. I then went on to tell her exactly what had gone on in conscious detail.

"Weren't you afraid?" Ritsu gleaned, her voice more caring than usual, "I mean, it must have been scary having to face Yui like that. You never know what that girl is thinking…"

"Of course I was afraid!" I said as if complaining, "That was like freakin' _School Days_ man! Why the hell did you make me watch that series anyways?"

"Dude…" Ritsu muttered, "I didn't know the anime was going to end like _that_… The OP was so lighthearted and bright… damn the media!"

Indeed, the media always does these sorts of things. I'm glad Ritsu and I are on the same page in that issue. We really are siblings.

"But I'm glad." Ritsu said in a mellow tone, "You _are_ growing up."

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Ritsu said, hitting my arm, "Now get out of bed, sleepyhead, or I'm taking half your rice!"

"Not fair!" I complained, springing out of bed and shooing her out of the room, "Wait for me, you!"

Older siblings have a way of getting on your nerves sometimes. Whether they do it to deliberately piss you off or if they're all followers of 'the more you hate, the more you love' doctrine, I can't say for sure. Oh well, exchanges of ours like these are always fun. I don't mind dealing with these every now and then. Slipping into my uniform, I hurried outside and saw that Ritsu actually waited for me. She wasn't a complete devil after all.

"Let's go, Satoshi-kun."

"Yeah."

The two of us headed down, had breakfast with our parents then were on our way to school again. Aside from our usual brother-sister banter which was always different every day, the whole scene seemed like a repeat of yesterday. Deja vu much? We passed by the Akiyama household and Ritsu entered to drag her phobia-ridden friend out into the sunlight.

"So how goes the new song, Mio?" Ritsu asked as she and Mio joined me outside, "You were working all night again, right?"

"I was..." Mio said, "But you know, songs do take time to take form... oh."

Does she always have to be surprised every time she sees me? Seeing her blush like that always made me feel uneasy, especially since I was already dating Ui. Turning away from Ritsu, she faced me with a smile and said,

"Good morning Satoshi-kun."

"Morning Mio-senpai." I said plainly

"You look a little tired today." Mio said in a concerned tone, "Did you stay up too late?"

"Sorta." Ritsu intervened with a dry laugh, trying to cover for me, "It's kinda complicated, you see."

"Oh?" Mio asked, intrigued. Exactly why she was so intrigued eluded me until now… I'd rather not think about it. Ignoring the issue for now, Mio-senpai, Ritsu and I moved on to our next destination; the Hirasawa household. There, at the front yard of the house was Ui checking her wristwatch, already waiting for us to arrive. Seeing her like this in the mornings always put a smile on my face.

"Look at him go." Ritsu whispered to Mio, the two of them watching me practically float to where Ui was. Sneaking up on her when she wasn't looking, I embraced her from behind and cried,

"MORNING UI!"

"Ah, Satoshi-kun," Ui said, pleasantly surprised by my attack, "good morning to you too. I hope you slept well after last night."

"I slept fine." I reassured, "Until Ritsu used my Freud book against me. She was talking to me in my sleep… ungh…"

"Did she now?" Ui laughed heartily, "I'm sure she didn't do it out of spite though."

"Of course not." I said shaking my head, "We have a strange relationship, Ritsu and I, but we don't hate each other."

"He was drooling the whole time though." Ritsu interrupted with a whisper, "You should've seen him Ui-chan."

The girls then giggled at my expense. Don't gang up on me in the mornings, I have feelings too, you know!

"Oh, by the way." Ui said, facing Ritsu with a smile, "Senpai, there's something I want to ask you."

"Go ahead Ui-chan." Ritsu grinned, "Ask away!"

"W… would it be alright," Ui said, fidgeting a little bit, "would it be alright if I called you Ritsu-nee?"

"R… Ritsu-nee?" Ritsu asked surprised, "What's this all of the sudden?"

"Did Satoshi-kun already tell you about what happened last night then?" Ui asked Ritsu

"He told me about it, yeah." Ritsu said, still waiting for Ui's explanation

"Well, since onee-chan won the contest, she made Satoshi-kun promise to refer to her as 'Yui-nee' from now on."

"Yui-nee, huh…" Ritsu smirked at me

"She won fair and square." I said, blushing but trying to act calm, "I'm a man of my word, so I'll call her that. Okay?"

"So, since Satoshi-kun here is calling onee-chan 'Yui-nee'," Ui said, blushing a bit herself, "I figured I might as well call you 'Ritsu-nee' in return, senpai. I… is that alright with you?"

"I don't mind it." Ritsu said with a warm smile, "As long as the two of you are happy."

Ui and I looked at each other shyly then turned away smiling. Why was I feeling so feathery all of the sudden? This was so unlike me.

"You're so cute when you're holed up in a corner like that Satoshi-kun." Ritsu then teased, "If only your friends at school saw you like this."

They're never going to see me act like a love-struck adolescent, and that's the bottom line! If ever I did, it'll spread all over the school like wildfire and my own editorial column would be used against me! That column ain't called _West Osaka High Rambles_ for being soft and cutesy! Before I could find a proper counterargument, the door of the Hirasawa household swung open and a figure stepped out to the open.

Unlike yesterday, when an enraged Yui came out with topically murderous intent, she was her usual breezy self this time around. There were no knives in her hands and no shopping bags filled to the brim with onions either. The only potentially lethal weapon she had on her was Gitah, but judging by the calmness she was emanating, I doubt she was going to smack anybody with her beloved guitar anytime soon.

"Morning everyone!" Yui called out as she joined us at the front yard. She then faced me and said with endearing emphasis, "And good morning Satoshi-kun."

"Good morning Yui-nee." I replied with a smile

"So you really are serious about this name-calling thing, huh." Ritsu nodded

"Of course." I said, trying to sound firm, "Ain't that right Yui-nee?"

"Yup!" Yui said, "You're basically my younger brother now too, after all."

"And Ui-chan here wants to be my younger sister too." Ritsu noted happily, "Ain't that nice?"

"They grow up really fast, don't they?" Yui-nee sobbed nostalgically. "I still remember the times…"

Hey, you aren't our parents! Remembering how liberal both my parents and Ui's parents were though, they wouldn't have any protests to this sort of setup… unless there was any monetary and legal issues involved, that is. I guess it was fine.

"Older sisters are really energetic, huh?" Ui whispered to me as we watched the two jokingly harangue on about things that never really took place.

"That's what makes them really fun to be around." I agreed. Just then, Ritsu went behind us and wrapped her arms around me, Ui and Yui and said,

"Hey Mio, d'ya mind taking a picture of us?"

"Oh, good idea Riichan!" Yui seconded, "C'mon, picture! Picture!"

"Alright, alright." Mio said, fishing out her digital camera, "Say cheese!"

With out heads bobbed together under Ritsu's remarkably strong arms, the camera flashed and that strange moment of pseudo-paternal solidarity was forever preserved.

"We're like a big family." Ui said happily as she looked at the picture from the camera screen

"Yeah," I said a little dazedly as I took a look at the picture too, "a big family…"

Maybe someday, that would actually come true. You never know what the future holds though. However, if it does come true, I'd gladly accept it. As the five of us were passing the camera round, the chimes of a school bell echoed, reminding us of where we were supposed to be headed that morning.

"So we'd better hurry up then." Ritsu said, "The gate guy is especially unfriendly on Fridays…"

Handing the camera back to Mio-senpai, we carried on to our true destinations.

"By the way Mio-senpai," I said as I walked beside her, "would you mind sending me that photo later?"

"Ah, sure." Mio said with a faint smile, "I'll e-mail it to you."

"Gonna make it my desktop pic." I grinned, already imagining the picture in my desktop surrounded by unarranged folders and word documents.

"Yeah." Mio said, her tone not exactly enthusiastic. What was her problem, anyways? Whatever it was, I didn't want to think about it too much. I didn't want to go to school in a bad mood twice in a row. It was a Friday too, my favorite day of the school week. I didn't want to spoil that.

Eventually, we arrived at the campus of Osaka West High School. Since Sakura-gakou was further down the road, this was where our paths split. The girls bid me farewell. Before they left though, Ui handed me the lunch she made for me.

"So Satoshi-kun," Ui reminded happily, with an excited ring in her voice "It's Friday today, so you know what that means."

"Of course." I said cheerfully, also quite excited myself "Should I meet you at your school or are you coming over to mine?"

"You've been going to Sakura-gakou for the past three weeks." Ui reminded with a smile, "So I guess it's time for me to visit Osaka West. You promised to show me around, right?"

"Ah, right." I said, remembering telling her that earlier this week, "Alright then, so I'll meet you after school. Okay?"

"Yup." Ui said with a nod.

"And before I forget," I added, "tell Sawa-chan that that performance was a one-time thing and I will never _ever_ cross-dress again."

Sadly, the last time I was at Sakura-gakou, Sawa-chan constantly pressured me to try out some of the costumes she made. I adamantly refused every single one.

"Not even for me?" Ui teased, batting her eye lashes

"If it's for you, I _might_ consider it." I laughed.

"Alright then." She then gave me a hug and said, "Take care now Satoshi-kun!"

The girls left and I merrily pranced into the school grounds, already looking forward to the end of school... This was going to be fun.

**To Be Continued**


	6. A Girl's Honest Dreams

**Author's Notes:** Midterms are finally finished, so I can finally devote my now-existent spare time to writing again! Expect chapter updates to come more often, and larger chapters too.

Speaking of chapters, I would like to thank '11133322' for all the help he has given me in the storyboarding process of this story. Our tens of thousands of words of conversation has definitely helped shape the story and has pushed it towards a really, really good direction. Many thanks to you, kind sir! And many thanks to you, my readers, for keeping up with the sluggish update times. This chapter (and the story as a whole) is for everyone, I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 6**

"Finally…" I groaned in relief as Francis and I walked out of the auditorium, "Those damn assemblies are getting on my nerves."

"I know right?" Francis agreed as he walked with me, "This is the last one for the month though, so they shouldn't trouble us for a while. Plus, it didn't eat up lunch this time."

"I guess you're right." I sighed, "But the principal seemed furious today. Do you think he…"

"Yeah," Francis said, "he must have read an advanced copy of your commentary. Why? Are you afraid?"

"Not really." I grinned, "I ticked him off enough to start grumbling on the podium. Maybe this time, he'll actually start acting like a responsible principal."

"And if not," Francis said, quoting from my column, "the students will rise up and demand change by all means necessary. You're starting to sound like Leon Bronstien, dude. Need help finding your Lenin?"

"Nah, nah." I laughed, shaking my head, "I'd rather not have my name on the US No-Fly list. They're paranoids – say you're left handed and they'll suspect you of being a communist."

"True that, true that." Francis laughed as well, knowing all too well about the paranoia of Canada's neighbors down south. The two of us then talked on about the column and the furious principal while making our way through the corridors. Before we knew it, we were already in the cafeteria, "Oh, we're already here."

Claiming a table before the place got crowded; we took out our lunches and prepared to eat.

"I see you have your lovely lady's cuisine again." Francis teased

"You're just jealous." I smirked

"Shut up!" Francis grumbled, taking out his own lunch, "At least I can make my own lunch!"

"You make your own lunch?" I asked, "Doesn't Jun know how to cook?"

"Jun? Ha!" Francis laughed, "That girl's useless in the kitchen. Ask her to cook rice, and you're practically asking to have the kitchen set on fire. I mean, how hard is it to cook rice? One cup of rice, one and a half cup of water is all you need. Flip a switch, and then you're ready to go. It's kinda tough to mess that up, eh?"

Indeed, it was hard to mess up making rice. Even Ritsu and I can make rice pretty well if we're desperate enough. I guess some people just really don't get it. Jun was a point in case. Luckily for me, I didn't have to deal with making rice too often. Mom often makes rice in abundance and Ui always prepares just enough.

Speaking of Ui's lunches and rice, I have to say they have to be the most well-planned meals I have ever had the pleasure to partake of. The side dishes are always different, but there is a pattern in the rice and how she prepares it. On Mondays, she packs extra since she knows I'm in a bit of bad mood at the start of the week. On Tuesdays, she adds black sesame seeds or nori flakes since she knows Tuesdays are boring for me and that that was her way to break the monotone. On Wednesdays, she adds yellow sweet pickles since I'm relatively cheerful on Wednesdays. On Thursdays, she foregoes the standard-issue rice and makes sushi since she knows I'm a little picky on Thursdays. Sometimes, she even makes Takoyaki. Then, Fridays are always a surprise since, well, I always like to be surprised. She knows me well, and that makes me happy. No wonder why Yui-nee wants to protect her so much. I'm not going back to eating economy buns at lunch again.

"So, it's Mystery Box Friday." Francis smirked as he pecked at his food. I nodded and he grinned at me in an 'I thought so' fashion. Since the two of us pretty much ate lunch together all the time, he knew all too well about this pattern too. He even jokes that I might start using Ui's lunches as a Weekday Calendar, but the idea ain't half bad. What about Weekends though… meh, I'll think about that later. I have a lunch to eat.

"Alright then." I said, rubbing my hands together, "Let's see what we've got here…"

Smiling, I opened up my lunchbox, waiting to see what surprise Ui had in store for me today. I lifted the lid and the smell of onions was quick to greet me. Rather than the harsh spray of onions Yui-nee and I chopped through, a more pleasant aroma emanated from the box. Looking inside, I saw that the side dishes included a grilled onion garnish and that she made onion chow fan out of the rice. How resourceful of her. I guess she didn't want to waste the onions. I have a feeling the Hirasawa household will be seeing onion-themed dishes this weekend. That'll be a thrill. Giving the onions a taste though, I figured that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Anything Ui makes is delicious, after all.

"Hey Satoshi." Francis then said, setting aside his food for a while, "What's it like to have a girlfriend like Ui?"

"Do you want the quick summary?" I asked, knowing that Francis wasn't really interested in long chatter

"I want the whole picture." Francis said so determinedly, I couldn't believe my ears. This was unusual.

"Alright then." I said, setting aside my food to talk to my friend. I told him about the fun times Ui and I share and the warm feelings I feel whenever I was with her. I told him about how just seeing her brought a smile to my face. These sorts of things were things that would usually make Francis laugh hysterically, but no laughing ensued today. He seriously wanted to listen to me and wanted to hear everything I had to say.

Prodded by his eagerness, I then told him about the tough times we had to face, telling him about what had happened at the Hirasawa household last night. Even the circumstance of our first meeting was quite strenuous, after all.

"It must be tough, huh." Was Francis' only reaction to all of that.

"But it's worth it." I assured with a smile, remembering the time I finally asked her out and the time Yui-nee finally accepted me as Ui's boyfriend "It's definitely worth it."

"How do you keep something like that going though?" Francis then asked, sounding a little overwhelmed.

"It's tough to put into words…" I said, not really having thought that much about that myself, "but whenever challenges pop up, you just have to be willing to face them."

"All you need is love, then." Francis deduced

"I guess so, yeah." I replied

"But I often find myself wondering what love _is_ in the first place." Francis groaned, "I mean, when you find someone you like, is there already love? When you get married, is there already love? I'm guessing there should be, but I just can't be sure."

"You think too much." I countered with a smile, "I don't know much about love either, but… love happens. That's what I think."

Francis then started rubbing his forehead. He was really thinking about this stuff recently, especially after Ui and I started going out. He declared his desire to have a girlfriend all of the sudden and all the things in between.

"Yeah, you're right." Francis chuckled, "We're starting to sound like wannabe philosophers here."

"Hey, I take pride in being a wannabe philosopher!" I argued. The two of us then laughed, shedding the heaviness of our earlier conversation.

Just then, the school bell rang, marking the end of our lunch period in about five minutes. Before we headed back though, there was one last thing Francis and I had to talk about.

"By the way France, Ui's coming over her today after school."

"Oh, that's cool." Francis said supportively, "You gonna show her around, I presume."

"Yeah." I said, already looking forward to later, "So could I ask you a favor?"

"Sure." Francis said eagerly, "What'cha need bud?"

"Could I borrow your set of keys after school?"

"Just promise you'll return them." Francis asked, "I'm gonna be in trouble if you don't."

"You can trust me with that." I reassured

"I'll take your word for it then."

"Thanks man."

The two of us then headed back to class for our last two periods. As I sat in my desk and looked out the window, I pondered on what Francis had asked me earlier. What is love anyways? Seeing Sakura-gakou out in the distance from where I sat, I smiled. I found my answer to that question. For me, Ui is love. That's all I need to know.

* * *

Later that day, Francis and I were heading out to the front gates of the school where Ui and I were supposed to meet. As promised, Francis handed me his set of keys, each one meticulously labeled as to which room each key was for.

"So that you don't waste too much time figuring out which key goes where." Francis explained

"How thoughtful of you." I laughed

"No problem buddy." Francis replied, "Just remember, give them back to me tomorrow."

"Sure, sure." I said, rifling through the keys

"Oh, and good luck later." Francis added, "I'll be rooting for you two."

"Yeah." I said, giving him a nod. Turning to him, I then noticed Francis carrying a peculiar case in his other hand, "You bringing your violin home today?"

"Of course." Francis said, "It's a weekend after all. What's my violin gonna do stuck in the music room?"

"Cool." I said, "What piece are you trying to complete this week?"

"Coldplay." Francis replied passionately, "Viva La Vida."

"Awesome!"

"Jun said she'll jam with me too, so it's gonna be fun." Francis added, "She may be useless in the kitchen, but she's a decent bassist."

"What was that?" A voice then cried out furiously. Speak of the devil, it was Jun.

"Nothing." Francis said stiffly, "Anyways, what are you doing here little sis?"

"Oh, I tagged along with Ui." Jun said enthusiastically, "She said she was going here so I thought I might as well go with her, eh?"

True enough, beside Jun was my Ui, radiant as ever.

"That's right." Ui said, backing Jun up, "Hey there everyone."

Francis acknowledged her presence with a kind nod, but I had something else in mind.

"Ui!" I cried, rushing to embrace her, "You're here."

It was always nice holding her in my arms after all. Feeling her soft hands gently wrapped around my arms also brought sunshine to my heart and a smile to my face too. Seeing us like this, Jun turned to Francis and grinned deviously.

"So we'll be going now then Ui." Jun said, grabbing Francis by the collar and dragging him off, "We wouldn't want to interrupt you two now."

"Alright then." Ui said, bidding the brother and sister farewell. "Take care now!"

"Have fun you two!" Francis called out to us, waving as he and Jun disappeared into the afternoon. Now that we were alone, I gently took Ui by the hand and said,

"So shall we go, my princess?"

The girl nodded and smiled warmly.

"Yes, my dear prince. Let's go."

Holding on to each other's hands, our journey into Osaka West High School began. The first stop we made was my homeroom classroom.

"Here's my chair." I said, patting my desk chair by the window, "You can have a seat if you want, Ui."

The girl happily obliged and sat cross-legged in my seat.

"This is a comfy seat." She said, turning to me, "Not too far from the front either."

"Yeah." I said, leaning against the desk and embracing the girl, "And look, I've got a pretty good view too."

"It's Sakura-gakou!" Ui noted, seeing her school in the distance

"That's right Ui." I said with a smile, "Whenever I get bored from the lectures, I just look over there and I feel better already."

"So you're always watching over me, huh." Ui smiled

"You could say that." I said proudly, holding on to the girl and burying my chin in her silky brown hair. The two of us looked out to the orange afternoon sky behind the window, pointing out familiar places and enjoying the view. When we were satisfied, I gently pulled Ui up and said,

"Let's go, there's some other stuff I wanna show you."

Holding each other's hands again, we headed out of the classroom and I brought her to the Press Room. Luckily, since the other members of the press were still busy finishing up the next issue of the school paper, the door was already open for us.

"So this is where I work." I said confidently, showing her the cubicle I occasionally shared with Francis.

"Hey Tainaka-san." Said a press members who wasn't mad at me greeted, "You brought your girl today."

"Oh, sorry to intrude." Ui then said, quickly shuffling over to her and shaking her hand, "I'm Ui Hirasawa, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." The member said cheerfully, "So you're the angel who's converting that devil."

She then whispered to Ui's ear and said,

"You're doing a really good job, my dear."

"What was that?" I asked, not really hearing what they were talking about

"Nothing." The two of them chuckled. Why do girls always hide these small things from us?

"Anyways Satoshi-kun, Ui-chan." The member said, "Since you two are here, d'ya want to see one of the advanced copies of the paper?"

"Sure thing." Ui said, interested in seeing my column. The senior member happily handed the girl a copy with the page already turned to my column.

"Hey you two, I have some work to do for now." The senior apologized, "I hope you two have fun. Oh, and good work Satoshi-kun! The principal was fuming!"

"Thanks senpai." I said, "Your column was equally as sharp. You sounded like you were trying to organize an insurrection."

"That lame excuse for a principal had it coming for him." The senior smirked, "Well, see ya!"

The senior zipped off to her cubicle leaving me and Ui alone.

"Now I know where you get your snarkiness." Ui smiled. Actually, it was Ritsu who influenced me, eventually making me influence senpai and the press members and so forth, but being with these sort of people more or less perpetuate that. It's complicated, I'll give it that much.

"Hah, I guess so, yeah." I laughed. The girl then turned her attention to the column and I read it alongside her. At the end of it all though, I found Ui with passionate tears in her eyes, raising her left hand in a fist.

"We must act, comrade." She said in between sniffles, "The plight of the students must be heard!"

Seems Ui is someone who is easily moved by passionate rhetoric. A few minutes ago, she was fine and peachy. Now, she was advocating the demands of the student body of my school. I'd better not let her read senpai's work then – I wouldn't want to risk too much ideology changes in Ui in a single day.

"You're a really good writer Satoshi-kun," Ui noted, wiping a tear as she handed me the paper, "do you plan to go professional someday?"

"Hopefully." I said, returning the paper to the pile by senpai's cubicle, "I'd love to do some columns on major newspapers. Though I fear that if people like me and senpai were put in the media spotlight, we might provoke World War III."

The girl chuckled. Having read my works, she might have thought of that as a possibility.

"But I am leaning towards literature." I added, "I don't want to be snarking about politics for the rest of my life after all."

"I see." Ui said with a smile, "It's always good to have a goal in mind."

"Yeah." I agreed, "So anyways, there's one last place here you might like. I saved the best for last!"

"Okay." Ui said excitedly, "Lead the way Satoshi-kun!"

Saying goodbye to the non-hostile press members, we left the press room and headed for the largest room in the main building; the music room. The door was already locked, but thanks to Francis' keys, that wasn't much of a problem. We snuck into the music room and the girl was amazed by what she saw.

"Wow… this is amazing." Ui said, astonished by the sheer size and beauty of the music room.

As if in a sort of trance, the girl looked around the room in total wonder. Going around the room, I saw it in her eyes - she loved this place. She then turned to me and said,

"Would you happen to know where the guitars are?"

"Right here." I said, opening a cabinet lined with acoustic guitars. I picked up a guitar and offered it to Ui.

"Thanks." She said, taking the guitar with a smile. Grabbing a chair, she sat down and set the guitar on her lap, "There's this tune I kinda came up with recently… I wanted you to hear it."

"Sure, go ahead!" I encouraged, grabbing a chair and sitting beside her, "I'm all ears."

"Okay then." Ui said, fretting the guitar and playing a light, gentle tune. Her foot tapped the ground to the beat of the song and she hummed as well, but she didn't sing. She didn't have lyrics for the song yet. Despite that, the sound of her guitar and her humming was soothing and the girl was enjoying herself.

It was a really good tune. Hearing something like that, I couldn't just sit down and listen. Getting up from my chair, I grabbed a cajon and set it beside her, laying down a beat for her. Together, the taps on the cajon, the strumming of the guitar and Ui's mild hums filled the room and the two of us were lost in the moment. It was as if the music had possessed us and lifted our spirits up. Playing together like this felt like bliss.

"So what do you think?" Ui asked as the tune ended

"It's really good!" I praised

"It's not yet complete, though." Ui sighed, "There's no lyrics yet and all…"

She the smiled and continued,

"But I'm glad you liked it. You even played along with me."

"It was my pleasure." I replied cheerfully, "You really love music, don't you?"

"I do." Ui said determinedly, "I have a dream, you see, Satoshi-kun. Can I tell you about it?"

"You can tell me anything." I said, wondering what she was going to say

"I don't know, but whenever I play an instrument, or sing, I feel… love." Ui said shyly, "I know it sounds corny, but that's how I feel. Music is really close to my heart – I wouldn't know where I would be without it."

The girl then stood up with the guitar in her hand and her eyes turned to the sunset out the window.

"I've always wanted to be an artist, like onee-san." She said dreamily, "I know I have a long way to go if I want to reach her level, but I really want to give it a shot."

She then turned to me with a smile and asked,

"Do you still remember that performance at the Cultural Festival?"

"Yeah." I replied, remembering that performance very well

"As I sang and played the guitar then, I felt like I was bringing people together." She said with reminiscent tears forming at the sides of her eyes, "They were clapping in tune, singing the lyrics along with me. That love I feel from music just overflows, and that makes me truly happy – I'm sure onee-san and Ritsu-nee feel the same. That's why I want to perform. I want to share that love with everybody in the world!"

Sitting there on the cajon, I was amazed by Ui's passion for music and was left speechless. Looking back at the performance, I somehow did feel a strange energy within as I played. Hearing the audience and the other band members enjoying the experience and all was something out of this world. I could see why Ui really loved music.

"So let me help you then." I said, getting up from the cajon and facing the girl cheerfully, "If you want to be an artist, you might want to consider getting your own guitar. You can't keep borrowing Gitah from Yui-nee, after all."

"Oh right." Ui said, setting aside the acoustic. She realized had only been able to play by borrowing Yui-nee's beloved Gibson Les Paul

"I'll help you pick one." I offered confidently, "Picking your first guitar can be overwhelming after all, so I'll help you out. Yui-nee can come too and I can drag Ritsu along if you want!"

"You'll do that for me?" Ui asked, pleasantly surprised

"Of course." I said determinedly, "A store clerk told me once that music is a journey. I wouldn't want you to venture off alone now, would I?"

The girl then smiled

"I'll be with you all the way Ui. I promise."

"Thank you Satoshi-kun." Ui said, embracing me and resting her head on my shoulder, "I love you."

"I love you too." I said, pressing my cheek against her neck. Just then, the school bell chimed, marking 6PM.

"Oh shoot!" I gasped, looking at my wristwatch in shock, "I had a lot of other things planned out for today…"

"It's alright." Ui said picking up the guitar and smiling, "Being with you like this is good enough for me."

"I see." I said, happily sitting on the cajon again, "One more time then?"

"Sure thing."

Dropping the rest of my plans for the day, the two of us just continued playing that tune Ui had made.

We played until the sun finally set then took our usual path home, holding hands the whole time. Along the way, the urge I felt to write lyrics for Ui's song grow stronger and stronger. If I could make lyrics for that song she made, I'm sure Ui would be happy… However, I didn't know how to write lyrics… I wonder who I could ask? Hmm… Maybe Ritsu will know something. Ritsu'll definitely know something. It wouldn't hurt to ask for a little help, right?

**To Be Continued**


	7. The Lefties

**Author's Notes:** Alright folks, Chapter 7 is here! Midterms are long done and the grades I got are really good! Now, with my extra free time, I can focus on FCP! again. Thank you for all of your support so far and thank you for following me on this journey of writing. It has been a pleasure and I hope to continue on like a train on the Trans-Siberian railway or for as long as there are traffic problems in EDSA. You guys are awesome!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 7**

An eight year old girl sits tall in her seat in a normal classroom of a normal all-girl's school, surrounded by her normal female classmates, living her normal life. The cheerfulness that usually comes with youth could be seen in the girl's sparkling eyes and the smile on her face was one of pure innocence… pure happiness. Everything was peachy. Everything was fine. Then, there came a question… a question that would change the life of that eight year old girl forever. This is where my story began.

"What is beauty?"

The young teacher of the class turned to her pupils and asked that seemingly simple question. Being the enthusiastic girl that I was, I was quick to raise my hand and the teacher called me without hesitation.

"Ah, Akiyama-san," the teacher said intrigued, "So tell me. What is beautiful for you?"

"Everything!" I said without a care in the world, "Everything is beautiful!"

Honestly moved by the question, I, the young girl then stood up and went on to say, "My classmates are beautiful, all of them are! You're beautiful too, sensei! The clothes you all wear, the way you all speak… it's all… nice!"

I said this without any trace of hesitation in my voice. My classmates' response was just as unfiltered, but a million times more harsh. Hearing my strange but honest answer, one my classmates shouted, "Mio likes girls!" and the classroom exploded with a laughter that taunted me. For the first time in my life, I felt frightened. I felt cold.

Years would pass, and the once happy girl who had never been shy in her life had a change for the worse. I became faint of heart, shy and easily embarrassed. This was all because of my honesty in answering that stupid question… all because I found women beautiful. From the moment I realized that, I knew I was different from everyone else. And along with that difference was fear and discrimination.

For a while, the other girls avoided me, called me names and played pranks on me. Come Middle School, everyone soon forgot about that day and the teasing thankfully came to an end. The pain and humiliation I felt in all those years though were engraved in my mind and turned me into who I was today… I couldn't hold up a candle to the girl I used to be. So much about me had changed by then… but one thing remained constant throughout all of that – the way I looked at women. No matter how hard I tried to 'snap out of it', seeing other girls made my heart race… being in front of them made me blush. Wasn't that the way girls are supposed to act around guys? Once I made that connection, I realized why I answered that question the way I did. I really did like girls. I was a lesbian.

Despite having made that realization, this was a secret I had to keep to myself. I couldn't tell anyone about it. I knew that if I was to be found out, then those latter years of Elementary school which I so terribly hated would repeat themselves. I didn't want them to happen again. Thus, the already gaping distance between me and the other girls grew even more. The fear I felt grew stronger… the coldness I felt grew deathly. Living in a world that wouldn't accept me for what I was, I didn't know how to move on. I didn't know if I even wanted to move on at all. Then, I met her – Ritsu Tainaka.

"Hey-yo! The name's Ritsu Tainaka. Tis' pleasure! Let's do our best in this project, m'kay?"

I still remember the day Ritsu and I were assigned to be group mates in class, the wide grin that she wore that looked a little stupid, the blatantly colloquial way she spoke that mangled the very fabric of Nihonggo… and the friendliness and the warmth she gave off. She was just like the old self I had left behind, weathered by the years of torments and diluted by the cruel limits of memory. Though I was shy and reserved, the girl reached out to me and the two of us naturally became friends. Slowly but surely, my jaded heart started to regain hope. Maybe there was someone in this big bad world that would accept me for what I am… maybe there was someone who might reciprocate these unusual but true feelings I hold inside… maybe there was someone who could turn me back into that girl I used to be. The project ended long ago but yet my relationship with Ritsu grows stronger till this day. She was the one true friend I had… the one person I felt secure with… the one person I felt I would someday be able to trust with this secret of mine.

Time flowed on and Ritsu and I found ourselves going to the same High School; Sakura-gakou. I knew this was fate. Standing out in the crowd, reading our names on the class list on the first day, I promised myself to tell Ritsu my little secret. However, every single time I tried to approach her about it, the shyness and frailty I had developed always held me back. Even though I agreed to help her restore the Light Music Club… even though I bought that left-handed Precision to support her endeavor… even though I met Yui, Mugi and Azusa, a wonderful bunch, in the course of it all… I couldn't get myself to say what I wanted to say. I couldn't say these sorts of things as shamelessly as I used to as a kid, and thus, silence prevailed and my secret remained hidden. I was silently at a loss.

Before long, the fateful Cultural Festival came upon us. With a few hours before the performance, the Light Music Club was without a Lead Guitarist and a Drummer. Ritsu, as lazy a leader as she was, had a dream of performing at Budokan and told me once that every performance they made brought them a little bit closer to realizing that dream. Since she and Yui were sick though, I, as the de-facto leader of the club, was split about cancelling the performance. I didn't want to hinder Ritsu's goal, but I didn't want to humiliate the club either. Then, that was when "Yui" and "Ritsu" appeared for practice.

There was a lot on my mind that day as I considered cancelling the show and seeing "Ritsu" arrive made my heart throb. In the same way the teacher's question moved my eight year old self to speak honestly, the moment I saw "her" again moved me to act honestly. I don't know what came over me then, but I decided that that was the day I would finally tell her about my true self and ask her if she wanted to accompany me on this... unusual path I was taking. Just like that time many years ago, it was a hastily-thought resolution and the results were disastrous. Rather than ask for "Ritsu's" acceptance, I made a rushed confession. On top of that clumsy mishap, the "Ritsu" I accidentally confessed happened to be her little brother Satoshi dressing up as her to substitute her in the performance.

Out of confusion… or maybe out of fear, I lashed out against him and Ui who apparently was also dressing up as Yui to cover for her absence. I shouted at them, cursed at them… angry at Ui for going headlong into a performance without having memorized the lyrics and disgusted at Satoshi for his laughable cross-dressing stint. As the two explained themselves though and played their hearts out on stage, my fury diffused but what replaced it was a rude awakening from the hopeful dreams I had been immersing myself in.

It took me a while to figure it out, but if I told Ritsu about myself… then I was risking the friendship I valued the most. My friendship with Ritsu was the only good thing left in this pathetic life of mine – I didn't want to lose it. That is why I decided to defend it at all costs. In order to avoid estranging Ritsu, I had to act straight… and the first boy that came to mind was Satoshi.

Ever since our little encounter, that boy has been acting strangely around me and I know it has something to do with what transpired that day. Seeing that he and Ritsu are close, it is only natural for him to think of me in a different light. He knows my secret, or at least he thinks he does. If I could flirt around with him for a bit, I'm sure he'll forget all about it. Flirting with guys makes me a straight girl, right? I'll be able to deny being a lesbian then and I will have nothing to worry about. That's all I am going for anyways. I've been testing the waters with Satoshi for the past few weeks, but I had to take decisive action soon. I just needed a chance… a chance fate was kind enough to provide.

A few minutes ago, I received a text message from Ritsu, saying that Satoshi had been asking her about writing lyrics. She said he wanted to learn how to write them and asked me if I could help out. This was a perfect chance. Not thinking twice, I took my phone and texted her back saying that I would be happy to help Satoshi learn to write lyrics.

I then told her that I could meet him at a café downtown, a perfect place to begin my little feint. I just have to make a few passes at him and my friendship with Ritsu will be safeguarded. Throwing myself into bed, I looked out to the night sky and started planning my little scheme. I'm sorry for using you Satoshi-kun like this, but this is something I need to do.

* * *

The next day came and I arrived at the downtown café early and waited for Satoshi to arrive. Seated in a booth, I waited in silence, going over my plan over in my head. Breath easy Mio, everything is under control. I had worn an especially nice outfit today, just for the occasion. Looking around, I already saw a number of boys stealing glances at me from afar. This was going to work.

Moments later, Ritsu's younger brother came, quite decently dressed himself. I waved to him to call him over and he froze on the spot, his face turning a little bit red. Just as I planned… Taking a quick breath, the boy walked on over to where I was and joined me.

"Good afternoon Mio-senpai." He said, avoiding my gaze, "Thanks for agreeing to help me out."

"Don't worry about it Satoshi-kun." I said in a sugared voice, flashing a smile at him that made him gulp, "So do you have what I asked you to bring?"

"Uh… yeah." Satoshi said, pulling out a pen and a pad of paper, "Here."

"Perfect." I said happily, "Let's get started then, shall we? Your sister told me you were a good writer, so this shouldn't be too hard. Okay?"

The boy, unable to speak all of the sudden, could only nod. He was already fidgeting, I could tell. This was going to be easier than I thought.

"Before we get to the lyrics," I said, talking about the actual matter to keep him from leaving, "do you know the chords or the tabs of the song you're trying to make lyrics for?"

"I think so." Satoshi said plainly, having recovered from the shock already "Give me a minute, I'll write them down."

The boy then took the pen and started writing down the chords. Apparently, Satoshi-kun was a leftie, writing the chord progressions with his left hand. Every so often too, he would tap his chin with the butt of the pen and groan, the same way Ritsu would during tests. Just as I thought, the two of them were very much alike. Also, there was a hint of determination in his eyes as he wrote – he was really serious about learning to write lyrics. This might make my plans a little more bearable - he wouldn't be a bad target.

Eventually, the boy finished and passed the paper to me.

"There. Done."

Unlike earlier, when he was buckling under the pressure, there was an air of confidence about Satoshi as I took the paper. Why was he so happy all of the sudden? Turning my attention to the paper, I could see why. Written there was a simple chord progression, nothing too fancy, no special effects. Then, written at the top of the progression was the title 'Ui's Unnamed Song'.

"This is…" I said, turning back to Satoshi

"It's a song Ui composed." Satoshi explained, "She let me listen to it yesterday when she went over to my school."

"Ui-chan made this…" I repeated in disbelief

"Yeah." Satoshi said with a smile on his face, "This was a song she had been developing for a long time now – the only thing missing is the lyrics."

"So you decided to make the lyrics for her." I deduced. Satoshi replied with a happy nod. The boy then went on to explain why he was doing this. He told me of Ui's dream of being an artist like her sister Yui, of how Ui feels love whenever she plays music, of how Ui wants to share that love and of how he intends to support her all the way.

This boy truly loved Ui. Hearing such inspired words come from him, I couldn't deny it. He would be willing to do anything for her… I'm such a fool. In order to preserve my relationship with Ritsu, I try to attack the relationship Satoshi shares with Ui. With such determination in his tone too, I knew I wouldn't be able to sway him away from her even if I tried.

I was asked once about what I thought was beautiful. Seeing this precious bond these two kids shared, I think I just saw something beautiful again. For the past few years, I had been silently fighting for what I thought was beautiful. It would be heartless of me to desecrate this any more than I already have. I have to make up for it.

"I see." I said with an honest smile, "So let's get down to writing those lyrics, alright? I'm sure it will make Ui-chan really happy."

"Thanks Mio-senpai." Satoshi said smiling back.

With that, my plan to make a pass at Satoshi ended. For the next hours of so, the Satoshi and I discussed the song and slowly started to formulate the lyrics – no more flirting, no more nonsense. This was my silent token of apology to Satoshi – helping him to make Ui happy. It only was the right thing to do. Soon enough, Satoshi finally got a good handle of writing lyrics and I had taught him everything I knew about writing lyrics. Well… almost everything. There was one last thing I had to impart.

"By the way Satoshi-kun." I added as he prepared to leave, "The single most important thing you should keep in mind when writing lyrics is this; always be true to yourself and write from your heart."

"I'll be sure to remember that." Satoshi said graciously. He then gave me a bow and said, "Thank you very much for your time Mio-senpai!"

"You're very welcome Satoshi-kun." I said with a smile. The boy then went off on his merry way, humming the tune of the chord progression as he left. He was happy. I however sat there in the booth alone once again, making me sigh.

"Be true to yourself, huh…" I repeated to myself, "I'm such a hypocrite…"

Now that Satoshi is out of the picture… what do I do now? Argh... I need some tea.

**To Be Continued**


	8. Ui and the Telecaster

**Author's Notes:** Happy November everyone! The winds are getting colder here in Canada (eh?) and, man, college is boring again now that Midterms are done. Luckily, FF keeps me sane in these winter months. Hehe. So here you go guys, Chapter 8! I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 8**

The sun was up and about that Sunday morning in late October. Mild gusts of wind blew through suburban Osaka, picking away at the browning leaves from the treetops and throwing them sporadically into the horizon. Walking through that strangely invigorating shower of leaves and morning dew were four people – me, my big sister Ritsu, my de-facto sister Yui-nee and my dearest Ui. Our destination today was the music store at the nearby strip mall. Today was the day we were going to help Ui pick out her guitar.

"So are you excited kiddo?" Ritsu asked Ui, jabbing her lightly in the same fashion she always does to me, "You're getting your first guitar!"

"I'm psyched actually, Ritsu-nee." Ui said with a happy smile. A few seconds later though, her brow crumpled for a moment. "But I am a little nervous… I've never been to a music store after all… and I don't know what kind of guitar I'm going to get."

"I'm sure you'll like the music store Ui." I said reassuringly, "It's a really nice place with instruments of all kinds, sorta. It'll be like a sort of candy store for music lovers."

"Did I hear candy?" Yui-nee then interrupted, batting her eyelashes as if asking me to tell her where this 'candy' was located. I was tempted to tell her that the candy was a lie (or rather, metaphorical), Portal-style, but decided against it. I had some candy on me after all.

"Here Yui-nee," I said, handing her my last mentos which she was more than willing to take. Apparently, the fresh maker was a suitable offering. Now that Yui-nee was temporarily satisfied, my attention got back to Ui. "So you haven't decided on what guitar you're getting."

"I've been doing some research." Ui said in a tone of seriousness, "but I'm just not sure about exactly what model I want."

"Oh, you'll find out what you want when you get there." Ritsu explained, "First instruments call out to you the moment you see them, you see. If you're really serious about getting one, you won't have much trouble choosing."

"That'sh vhat haffened teh mee." Yui-nee said, her candy chewing slurring her speech

"I remember that!" Ritsu said, laughing reminiscently, "When Yui here saw Gitah, she wouldn't look at anything else."

"Which is why…" Yui-nee said finishing the mentos, "we're going to help you pick today! It's about time Gitah gets a little brother!"

"Thanks everyone." Ui said, regaining her confidence, "I'll be counting on you then. Let's go!"

The four of us then carried on to the mall, talking about Yui and Gitah's first encounters and wondering what kind of guitar she was going to get.

* * *

Moments later, the four of us finally arrived at the mall. Along the way, we encountered a number of clothing bargain bins that immediately caught Yui-nee's attention. Rather than detach from the group and float towards the bargain clothing as she usually would, she controlled herself and stayed with us. Bargain clothing wasn't the reason we were here today, after all, and Yui-nee knows that. Moving on, we walked down to a part of the mall that Ui was somewhat unfamiliar with. Ui hesitated for a moment, but I laid a hand on her shoulder, convincing her to keep going.

Soon enough, we found the music store sign leading to a narrow corridor.

"So… where is it?" Ui asked, noting the lack of a visible shop anywhere nearby

"Underground." Ritsu said, showing her the set of escalators, "Let's go!"

The four of us then got on the descending escalator and were slowly transported from the nondescript mall into a land of pure awesomeness; the music store. A look of wonder was about on Ui's face as the store revealed itself to her in all its glory. Acoustic guitars, Bass Guitars, Electric Guitars, Keyboards and many other kinds of instrument filled the place and lined the walls. A number of people browsed through the store too; a young girl trying her hand on one of the pianos, a young boy trying out a guitar with curious strums, an enthusiast who looked at every single instrument with delight. It was a haven for anyone with even the slightest bit of musical interest.

"This place never gets old, huh." Ritsu said with a smile

"I know right," I replied, finding myself entranced as ever by the place

"Huwah~!" Yui-nee then squealed, "They have castanets today!"

She then darted off to the container of castanets, pulled out a pair and started playing them. "Umn-pah~! Umn-pah!"

"And she's in her own world again." Ritsu sighed amused, remembering the time Yui-nee wanted to audition for the Light Music Club with castanets. "So anyways Ui, here we are. Have a look."

"Right." Ui said determinedly, walking over to the wall lined with guitars. By this time, Yui-nee had already put back the castanets and was holding a Les Paul she had taken from the rack.

"_Uuuuiiiii~ Piiiick meeeee~! Iiiim caaaallling ouuuut tooo youuuu_~!" Yui-nee whispered airily to Ui as she hid her face behind the guitar, making Ui giggle. Clearly, she was making the 'first instrument calling out to you' think literal. Nice try, Yui-nee, nice try.

"You want Ui to pick a Les Paul too, huh." Ritsu chuckled, "That would mean you'd have twin guitars."

"That's the idea Riichan." Yui-nee whispered back to Ritsu, but she forgot Ui was right in front of her, "Oh shoot. Ahehehe~"

As the two stooges joked around, Ui got back to looking through the guitar wall, watching out for that guitar that would catch her attention. All that time, I just stood by her silently, writing down lyrics ideas on a small notepad I carry around with me. As much as I wanted to choose a nice guitar for her or even make suggestions, this was a choice Ui had to make for herself. I'll just be there to support her. Then, she saw it. Her eyes shone like the stars at night and her mouth was slightly open in awe. This was it – the guitar she wanted. She didn't have to tell me what she wanted, I could see it clearly enough. Tip-toeing, I reached up and took the guitar off the hook then handed it to the girl in the same way a European knight would offer his sword to his lady.

"Is this what you wanted?"

The girl smiled cheerfully as she took the guitar from me,

"Yes it is, thank you."

"You already picked one?" Ritsu asked surprised, snapping out of her joking session with Yui-nee "Show us! Show us!"

"Yeah! Show us!" Yui-nee added, wanting to have a look at Ui's choice.

"Here." She said, showing it to the two

"So pretty." Yui gasped as a wide smile formed on her face, "Hello there guitar-san. Are you going to be Gitah's little bro? Heehee~."

"Squier Telecaster by Fender…" Ritsu said, reading the headstock of the guitar, "That's a nice guitar – and it's an economy model too."

"Affinity series, classic vibe." I added, seeing the small sticker on the pick guard, "It looks nice too, kinda like an acoustic, but not really."

Indeed, if it weren't for the sleek black pick guard and the volume/tone knobs, its façade was somewhat similar to an acoustic. That song Ui let me listen to at the music room this Friday… she played it on an acoustic. It wasn't really a hard rock song like the ones performed by the HTT, but it wasn't a classical piece either. The Telecaster is a popular guitar for the mellower spectrum of rock, so I can see why it caught Ui's eye.

"So you didn't want the Gibson, huh.." Yui-nee sighed, a little sad that Ui didn't choose the same model as hers "but he will be Gitah's younger brother, right?"

"Of course!" Ui said, hugging the guitar happily, "Gitah is onee-chan's guitar and this one is mine, so they're naturally brothers too."

"Alright!" Yui said cheering up, "So what are you gonna call him?"

"I was thinking of calling him… Tele" Ui replied a little shyly

"Oh! So cute~!" Yui gasped blushing, "Eh? You beat me to naming it!"

I would later learn that Yui-nee had a penchant for naming things - Gitah, being a point in case. No wonder she was so shocked when Ui named it ahead of her. Gathering her composure, Yui-nee looked at the guitar and said,

"Anyways, welcome to the family Tele! You get along with Gitah now, okay?"

Guitars were honorary members of the Hirasawa household too huh – I guess that makes sense. Before Gitah can meet his long lost younger brother Tele though, there is one last hurdle for us to overcome; the price tag.

"Even though it's an economy model…" Ritsu said, noticing the tag hanging from the headstock, "it is still a pretty expensive guitar."

"Riichan!" Yui-nee said in a serious tone as she took out a cellphone, "Shall we unleash our secret weapon?"

"Oh right… that." Ritsu said intrigued, "Now that we're here, we might as well."

"Secret weapon?" Ui asked, wondering what the two were talking about.

"Remember when I first got my guitar?" Yui-nee said, "The price was too high for me, even though Riichan, Mio-chan, Mugi-chan and I took part-time jobs."

"Yeah, I think so." Ui said, somehow remembering the scenario.

"Apparently, Mugi-chan's family's company owns this store, so we got a pretty hefty discount!" Yui-nee said proudly, "We can do it for you too!"

The clerk heard this and cringed, already bracing for impact. Clearly, this tactic has been fielded many times before... I kinda feel sorry for the poor fellow.

"Actually, it's alright." Ui said, refusing their offer kindly, showing us a small brown envelope full of cash "I already saved up for this."

"She came prepared!" Yui-nee and Ritsu gasped

"I've wanted to get a guitar for some time now," Ui explained, "so I saved up my allowance for this. I appreciate your offer, but I wouldn't want to bother Mugi-senpai."

"You want to do this with your own two hands." I deduced. Ui nodded and the two girls sighed.

"You're really serious about becoming an artist, huh." Ritsu added amazed, "I can see why Satoshi was so eager to drag me along to help out."

"I didn't drag you sis," I grumbled, "you wanted to come too."

"Hah, whatever." Ritsu rebutted, "But what I'm trying to say is, with that kind of commitment, I'm sure you'll get far."

"I see." Ui said in a dreamy tone, "I hope that's true."

"I'm sure you will," Ritsu reassured, "you've got this little brat here with you after all – he'll do whatever you tell him to do!"

As much as I wanted to snark, Ritsu was right. I was going to be there for her, and so were these two people here.

"I will, and so will Yui-nee and Ritsu." I added with a smile, "No matter what happens, the three of us will support you."

"Thanks everyone… really." Ui said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, "I'm really happy to have you all."

"There, there." Yui-nee said, patting Ui's shoulder. She then turned to us and said, "So let's pay for this already and get going, aight?"

Ui calmed down eventually and took the guitar with her to the counter. She paid for the guitar with her savings, along with a gig bag, a cord, some picks and some other things a beginner would need for her first guitar. She was thinking about getting an amplifier too, but decided not to. Her sister already had one at home after all, so she figured she should share. With her new instrument and equipment in hand, we thanked the store clerk (who was happy that he wasn't copped out by Ritsu and Yui like the last few times they were there) and got onto the ascending escalator to leave the shop. On the way up though, Yui-nee asked her sister a question I had been pondering about all that time.

"So Ui, are you planning to form a band?"

"Well..." Ui said, fidgeting a little bit, "I'd like to form a band, but I don't know too many people who'd want to play with me."

"I'll join in if you want." I volunteered, "I did promise to support you - I might as well help you out in your band then."

"I appreciate it Satoshi-kun," Ui said with a smile, "So we have drums down, then..."

"Alright..." Ritsu said, counting the band parts with her fingers, "You have a guitarist-slash-vocalist and a drummer... all you need now is a bassist."

"Wait a sec..." I interrupted, "Isn't Francis' little sister a bassist?"

"Oh, you mean Jun?" Ui said in realization, "Yeah, that just might work!"

"So you've got a working band roster now." Ritsu said proudly, "You two should go ask her then."

"Yeah, we should." Ui said, "I'll see if we can drop by her house and ask."

"Francis and Jun won't be at home till later tonight." I said, "They're gonna be at the conservatory downtown - they use the facilities there on the weekends."

"To the conservatory then!" Yui-nee said conclusively.

"You guys want to tag along too?" Ui asked the two

"Why not?" Ritsu said, "We cleared our plans for today anyways - we might as well make the most out of it."

"Alrighty then," I said leading the way, "Let's go."

Holding on to her gig bag gently, Ui then walked beside me and the two girls followed. She didn't say a word, but her face was etched with pure happiness. She finally got her own guitar and we were about to form a band. With every step we took, her dreams of becoming an artist were getting closer and closer after all. Knowing that, I was happy for her too. I'll do whatever it takes to help her realize that dream.

**To Be Continued**


	9. Okaeri

**Author's Notes:** Hello everyone and welcome to yet another installment of FCP! (These chaps are taking longer than I thought they would, but they're worth it!) Anyways, as a general suggestion when reading my long works, have your snacks and drinks ready - coffee is my mainstay (when reading or writing fanfiction **and** dealing with irritating college assignments) oh... and pickles. You gotta love pickles. Anyways, thank you once again and here you go my dear keys... i mean readers! Chapter 9, Commençons!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 9**

A beautiful, sprawling campus of large modern buildings, spanning about two whole city blocks or so stood to greet Ritsu, Yui-nee, Ui and I at the end of our commute to the heart of Downtown Osaka. Having come from the quiet and simple residential district of suburban Osaka, finding this… monument, to say the least, was like finding an oasis in the desert – you're not really sure if it's for real. The four of us pinched our faces in tandem and soon realized that this was the place we were looking for; the Osaka Conservatory. This was the place the Suzukis spent most of their weekends.

"Jun told me she practiced her jazz bass at some sort of institution…" Ui said in awe, "but I didn't think it would be a place like this…"

Indeed, Ui had the right to be amazed as did everyone else. I knew Francis was a violinist (though he had been considering switching to the electric guitar), but playing in a place like this in the weekends regularly? Those guys must be rich. Aside from the awesome sweet campus, masses of people were moving about, many of them bearing an instrument or an instrument case. Most of these people were quite well-dressed, and there was the occasional foreigner too. The place gave an aura of class and culture that was almost Bourbon. I could hear the clavichords already…

"Well, this is the place we're looking for." I said checking my cellphone, "Francis texted me the address – this is it."

"But where exactly are those two?" Ritsu asked, folding her arms as she scanned the area, "We know they're here, but this campus is huge, man!"

"They're supposed to be at a practice room number five, or something." I said, going through his text again to look for more details, "But that's all I know… I'm not really sure how to get there…"

"We can't exactly go through the whole place either…" Ritsu reasoned

"We can't?" Yui-nee asked disappointed

Ritsu and I shook our heads, making Yui-nee whimper. We wanted to meet those two today, not next week. I guess I'll just give ol' France a call – that'll save us the trouble of going conquistador mode. Before take out my phone, a familiar figure happened to pass by.

"Riichan? Yui?" The figure said pleasantly surprised, "And Ui-chan and Satoshi-kun too!"

"Mugi-chan!" Yui-nee exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking the same question to you lot." Mugi-senpai smiled, "What's going on?"

"My friend and his sister are using one of the practice rooms here today." I explained, "We were planning to drop by. There's something we wanted to talk to them about, you see."

"Is that so?" Mugi-senpai said, "Do you know how to get to the practice rooms though?"

The four of us shook our heads regretfully, making the girl chuckle

"I see," she said, "I was on my way there myself actually. I take piano lessons here on weekends, you see."

"So this is the piano school you said you went to." Ritsu gasped in amazement

"Yes." Mugi-senpai said happily, "Piano is only one of the departments here at the conservatory though. They also have a choral department, a percussion department… anything you can think of!"

Hearing this, Yui-nee and Ritsu were stoked. Their respective fortes of music were invoked and their eyes were sparkling, making Mugi-senpai smile. Her attention then turned to Ui and her guitar case and said

"They have a guitar department too Ui-chan, though they prefer classical. That would be an electric guitar, am I right?"

"Yeah." Ui replied with a smile, "I just bought it today, actually."

"Would that mean you are planning to form a band?" Mugi-senpai then asked, catching on our motive quickly

"We are." I said, answering for Ui, "That's why we were looking for our friends – we're on a sort of recruitment drive."

"Ah… I see, I see. Good for you two" Mugi-senpai said cheerfully

"Anyways, since I still have some time…"she then said checking her watch, "why don't I show you guys to the practice rooms?"

"Is that alright with you Mugi-senpai?" Ui asked, "We won't be bothering you now, would we?"

"Of course not!" Mugi said shaking my head, "You guys are my friends! It would be my pleasure to show you guys around!"

She then put her hands together excitedly and asked, "Now, do you want to go there right away? Or do you want the scenic route?"

"SCENIC ROUTE!" Ritsu, Yui-nee and Ui cried, quite eager to go around the place. It's 3-to-1 in the polls, huh? We don't have all day guys… Mugi-senpai heard my groans and was quick to reassure me,

"Don't worry Satoshi-kun, the scenic route is the only route in this place. You'll understand when you are actually inside."

I guess I shouldn't be a killjoy today. Mugi-senpai knows what she's doing, and everyone knows we're not on a sightseeing trip (though Yui-nee may be an exception). And hey, seeing a few things here and there wouldn't hurt now would it? Thus, our short tour of the Osaka conservatory began.

The moment we entered the main building, I saw that Mugi-senpai wasn't kidding about 'the scenic route being the only route'. Walls of paintings and engravings, statues and Western ornaments that made me wonder if we were still in Japan, high ceilings with full length windows that illuminated the room in pure sunlight and floors that wouldn't be out of place in the Versailles. There even actually _was _a clavichord in display in the main hall, how classy.

Not wanting to dawdle on too long in the captivatingly artsy foyer, Mugi-senpai led us onwards and brought us to a hall lined with photographs. Unlike the paintings and portraits in the foyer, they were somewhat uniform and each one was marked with a bronze plate that showed a year and a city starting with 1959, Osaka.

"This is a sort of photographic history book the conservatory keeps." Mugi-explained to us as went through the photos, "Every year, the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra competes in international competitions and this is a memorabilia of sorts."

We walked through that hall rather quickly, watching as the years slowly flowed on by. Going though all these photos, I saw that as the years passed, the orchestra grew larger and the younger people became part as well. What used to be a unit of aged men and women in the 60's and 70's included younger and younger people by the late 80's and 90's.

Mugi-senpai then stopped to show us the 1992, Helsinki photo. Here, Mugi-senpai's parents made their first appearance as members of the orchestra. Apparently, her mother was half Japanese, a quarter German and a quarter French and her father was a Finnish national who migrated to Japan and took a Japanese name. No wonder why Mugi-senpai looks kinda different – her blonde hair and bright blue eyes should have made that obvious. Anyways, we were also told that the Finland concert was where they first met – one of the many reasons why Finland was the Kotobuki family's second home.

Fourteen photos later, the twelve year old Tsumugi Kotobuki joined the orchestra, standing prominently in the front line of the 2006, New York photo between her mother and father. After that concert though, Mugi-senpai's folks stopped participating in the orchestra to found and manage the still growing Kotobuki Corporation, but Mugi-senpai carried on in their stead. In the 2007 concert in Rio de Janeiro, the 2008 concert in Cape Town, the 2009 anniversary concert in Osaka and the 2010 concert in Montreal, Mugi-senpai was there. Ui, Ritsu and Yui-nee already knew about this, so I was the only one utterly amazed. That's one hell of a musical background for a seventeen year old girl.

"So anyways," Mugi-senpai said, wrapping up her tour of this hall, "the practice rooms are just around the corner."

Having seen all that there was to see here, the five of us carried on. Just before I left the hall though, something in the 2010, Montreal photo caught my attention. Was that Francis? Unable to believe my eyes, I stopped in my tracks and had a closer look at the strangely familiar figure in the far corner of the photo. It really was Francis, holding that same violin he uses today… Was he…

"Satoshi-kun?" Ui called, wondering why I was lagging behind

"Oh, sorry." I said, turning around and catching up with the group.

We then finally found the fifth practice room, hearing the all too familiar sound of a violin and a bass playing to the tune of Coldplay's Viva La Vida. The Suzukis were here. We waited for the song to finish before knocking on the door.

"Hey France, it's us."

"Oh," Francis replied from behind the door, "come on in then!"

We opened the door and stepped inside saying,

"Sorry to intrude!"

"Ui! Satoshi-kun!" Jun said, bursting with excitement to see us

"Hey Jun!" Ui said pleasantly, embracing her friend while I replied with a simple nod.

"And good afternoon buddy," Francis then said, "I see Yui-senpai and Ritsu-senpai are with you too."

Once he realized that he had a fifth visitor though, he was pleasantly surprised.

"Ah, bonjour mademoiselle Kotobuki." Francis said in a language I didn't understand

"Bonjour aussi monsieur Suzuki." Mugi-senpai replied, apparently familiar with that foreign language too, "C'est un belle journée, oui?"

"You two know each other?" Yui-nee gasped in delight,

"And you two speak French?" Ritsu added

"Yes." Mugi-senpai said, reverting back to Japanese, "Suzuki-kun here was a newcomer to the orchestra in the Montreal concert… and we had to learn French for the visit."

"C'est vrai." Francis said in an agreeing tone, "Of course, since I learned French when I still lived in Canada, I didn't have to."

Seems these two were familiar with each other.

"How did you come across this lot though Kotobuki-san?" Francis then asked, wondering why she was with us "Do you know who these two bandswomen are? They're the drummer and lead guitarist, respectively, of the famous Ho-kago Tea Time!"

Oh dear… He was introducing Mugi-senpai to her own band mates… Francis didn't know she was part of the HTT?

"Actually… I guess I didn't have the chance to tell you," Mugi-senpai said, rather amused by Francis' introduction, "I _am_ a member of the HTT – I play the keyboard."

"No way! That can't be…" Francis exclaimed, unable to believe what he had just heard, "I thought that this 'Mugi' person was the… I mean in Cagayake! GIRLS, the members say their names and all and…"

"That was me." Mugi-senpai smiled, "My nickname in school is plain Mugi."

"紬…むぎ, mu… gi…" Francis mumbled to himself, tracing Mugi-senpai's proper kanji name and her hiragana nickname in the air with his finger. "Oh… so the 'Mugi' came from Tsumugi. Now I get it!"

Times like this remind me that this guy was still mostly thought in English. Jun already knew Mugi-senpai, but she too was mumbling Mugi's two names to herself. These two were half-Canadian after all… I should cut them some slack.

"Anyways…" Jun said, giving up on visualizing Japanese characters for now, "What brings you all here this wonderful afternoon."

"Oh right." Ui said, remembering why we had come here in the first place. She then turned to Jun and said, "Satoshi-kun and I are forming a band, and we were wondering if you wanted to join us Jun."

"Need a bassist, eh." Jun smirked with pride, "But if it's for the Light Music Club, then I have to decline. I'm already part of the Jazz Club after all..."

"Forming a band is different from club activities." Ritsu then explained, "It's an extra-extracurricular activity, if you want to put it that way, and you can plan your schedules around your free time."

Also, I wasn't part of Sakura-gakou's Light Music Club. I unofficially _was_ part of it for a day, but that was a strange, strange circumstance I won't bother you with today...

"C'mon Jun." Ui prodded further, "It's going to be fun!"

"Hmm…that may be true…" Jun said, rubbing her chin, "but, I don't know…"

"Why don't we convince you then?" I said with a grin, "Ui, would you mind playing that song again?"

"Oh, good idea!" Yui-nee agreed, "I haven't heard this song of yours either. I want to hear!"

"Yeah, go for it!" Ritsu cheered, "Jun-chan might change her mind."

"Alright then." Ui said determinedly. She then took Tele out from the gig bag and wore him on her shoulders for the first time.

"You bought a new guitar too…" Jun said, noticing the plastic on the Telecaster's pick guard still intact

"Yeah." Ui said as she put her left hand on the fretboard, "So here goes."

That same mellow tune she had played for me with the acoustic guitar then emanated from Tele. Since we didn't have a guitar amplifier on us, the electric guitar sounded like the acoustic but the sound was beautiful nonetheless. Ui's soft fingers carefully danced on the strings and her pick struck against the strings in small, gentle movements, captivating everyone's attention. The girl played with such passion, we could feel it with every strum of the guitar and Francis was quick to notice.

"Dude, she's good." Francis whispered to me as we watched

"I know right…" I said, entranced by the tune she was playing. Before I knew it, I found myself silently tapping the floor with my feet to the beat of the song. It gave me an idea.

"Hey France…" I then whispered to my friend, "Would you know where I could get some bongos here?"

"Heh,I was expecting you to say that sooner, but of course." He whispered back, slipping back into one of the cabinets and coming back with a pair, "Do your thing."

Grabbing a chair, I joined in on the song and tapped the bongos alongside Ui. The girl smiled as she played and started nodding to the rhythm of my impromptu percussion. Then, to our surprise, the low, crisp sound of Jun's bass added to the mix, brightening the already majestic sound of the bongos and Ui's guitar.

"Mind if I tag along?" Jun asked as she played

"By all means!" Ui said happily

The song carried on, repeating the progressions once or twice as the three of us played the simple yet calming tune. Then, a fourth instrument came in – a violin.

"Hey, I can't let you guys have all the fun." Francis said

"Right on France!" I said, intrigued by our instrument composition. We now had a guitarist, a drummer, a bassist and a violinist – it wasn't a usual mix, but strangely, it sounded nice. The song ended and the three seniors gave an earnest applause. Ui then set her instrument aside and asked Jun a second time,

"So what do you say Jun? Would you be our band's bassist?"

"How could I say no to a friend after playing her heart out like that?" Jun said cheerfully, "I'm free on the weekends anyways - being on a band will give me something to do!"

"Really!" Ui cried, hugging her friend tightly, "Thank you Jun! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"What about you Francis?" I then asked my violinist friend, "That violin part was pretty sweet - it would make our band a little more interesting."

"Indeed," Mugi-senpai added, "it gives it that distinct Cajun sound… or maybe even Acadian, if you will."

Francis then scratched his head shyly

"You guys really think it would be alright for your band to have a violinist?"

"Why not? I like it." Ui said with a smile, "I think it blends very well with the other instruments. I'd be happy to welcome you to the band too Suzuki-kun."

"Same here." I followed, "You can still rock out with the violin, man. You were playing Coldplay just a while ago weren't you?"

"Yeah, we were." Francis said more receptively at the mention of his favorite band, "Alright then, if it's alright with you guys, then count me in!"

And just like that, our band was formed. It was a great feeling knowing that the four of us would be making music together and one couldn't help but imagine performing at Budokan too. There are a number of things we would have to iron out before we should think about reaching Budokan, but we'll leave that for our first meeting. Forming a band for the first time was something we could only experience once - I might as well savor the moment. Turning to Ui, I saw the warmest smile on her face and a look of elation about her. Then, all of the sudden, tears formed in her eyes.

"Everyone... words can't express how happy I feel right now."

The girl then smiled as the tear fell to the floor as she said,

"From the bottom of my heart, I thank you! I promise you, we'll all have a good time!"

Ui never had a hard time showing us how she felt, and that was something I really liked about her. Seeing her like this reminded me of what Mio-senpai told me this Saturday when she taught me how to make lyrics. She told me that the single most important thing to writing lyrics, or maybe anything one does in life, is that it has to come straight from the heart. I could clearly feel the passion burst out from Ui's heart, in the way she spoke... in the way she played her guitar... thanks to that, I felt a fire light up in my own heart as well and I felt strangely warm. This must be the love Ui was talking about whenever she made music. Putting my hand on my chest, I felt my heart beat happily like the bongos I had been playing earlier. Such is the power of music, I guess... it is the language of the heart, after all. Moved by that flame of love, the feelings I had kept inside for a long time started to overflow and slowly became words, then phrases. I was coming up with the lyrics.

I guess I'll be up all night then - I have some lyrics to put to paper!

**To Be Continued**


	10. Take A Moment To Rest

**Author's Notes:** Boy am I tired... Why is it that all the assignments and stuff for school are crammed up right before holidays? Thank goodness that's over... Now I can actually get some sleep, haha. Before that though, here's Chapter 10 for you my dear readers! It's one of my longer chapters to date, so get some snacks and drinks (no coffee for me this time - I should sleep) and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 10**

It was 6:33PM one lovely Thursday evening and a simple beef stew sat cooking in the pressure cooker. Now, I'm not a big fan of pressure cookers and I don't use them unless the cookbooks deliberately tell me to, but I deliberately did it for this occasion. Food takes a little bit longer to finish there (and it tastes good too, I guess!), but I wanted to buy myself a little time around. Retiring my apron, I made my way up the stairs and went to my room.

Everything was in place, I thought, as I watched the array of stuffed toys and memorable trinkets arranged in an orderly fashion. Seated on my bed was a large stuffed bear that brought a smile to my face as soon as I saw him. It was the bear Satoshi-kun and I had won at the Cultural Festival.

"Hey there." I said as sat I beside the bear and put him on my lap. Almost as if second nature, I started patting his head and scratched behind his ear. I hugged the bear tightly and buried my face in his soft head – the same way Satoshi would. I found that little bit about him rather cute. Anyways, lifting my eyes, I saw the newest addition to my room – Tele.

The guitar sat on a steel-framed, rubber-coated stand by the nightstand, facing window and the setting sun behind it. This was why I chose to pressure cook the stew this evening. With each passing day, I grew more and more attached to my guitar – indeed, I had found my passion. I felt the calluses on my left hand with my thumb fondly, remembering how I spent the past few nights playing Tele… watching the stars shine out in the sky. It always felt nice playing facing the window at night – it was like looking at a mirror to the cosmos and the universe and… I'm getting out of topic here, ahehe. Sorry about that.

Returning the bear to his special spot on the bed, I stood up and walked towards Tele's stand, picking him up and wore him over my shoulder. Doing a little finger stretching exercise, the one Azusa-chan taught me once, I warmed myself up to play. How did it go again? One, two, three and one, two, three… there. That should do it. I put my hand on the fretboard, faced the smiling stuffed bear on the bed and started playing that tune I had played so many times before.

No matter how many times I played, it never got old – every strum was always a new experience… and even if I made mistakes (I really should watch those D-majors...), that bear always smiled and cheered me onwards. 'Lean forward, and always aim higher.' Satoshi-kun said as he helped me win that bear. I still remember those words quite clearly… shooting a target that seemed impossible to hit. Somehow, I was able to hit it… somehow…

"Ui?" A voice then called, from the hall followed by a salvo of knocks

"Onee-chan, I'm here!" I said, letting my older sister come in. She came in, carrying her amplifier with her free hand and wearing Gitah on her shoulders.

"Here you go." She said with that innocent grin she always has, "It's your turn for the amp."

"Thanks onee-chan," I said happily, gathering my cords from a cabinet, "I can handle it from here. You can wait for me downstairs – dinner will be ready in a while."

"It's fine." Said my sister, "Gitah and I are here to watch tonight, ain't that right Gitah?"

She then strummed an A-major on Gitah and said,

"See! Gitah's excited!"

True enough, the sound Gitah made was that of excitement. There really is something special about the A-major, but I just can't put it to words...

"Alright then Gitah," I said as I plugged Tele into the amplifier, "your little bro will play for you tonight."

I flipped the switch on the amp its light hum slowly filled the room, making my heart beat in excitement. Onee-chan and Gitah took their places beside my bear as Tele and I faced them.

"Here we go."

I played that tune again, hearing the sounds much cleared and much brighter now that Tele was connected to the amp. Onee-chan bobbed her head left and right as I played the song once or twice, she was really enjoying it. When I finished, onee-chan gave me a round of applause.

"You're getting better and better at this Ui!" my sister said, stars shining in her eyes

"I've been practicing a lot, that's why." I said, showing her my calloused fingers

"Oh right, Mio-chan told me about what happens to guitarists' fingers before." She said reminiscently, "Lemme' feel em'!"

"Sure." I said, letting her feel my fingers

"Ahehehe, they're so soft." She squeaked, "But I can feel the tips getting tougher – that's good."

"But they're not tough enough yet, and they still hurt every now and then." I diluted, "Let me feel yours."

Feeling her fingers, they too were soft but were much, much tougher and stronger than mine. The calluses were already solid unlike mine which were only starting to form.

"They'll be like mine the more you play." Onee-chan reassured, "You just have to keep at it, you know."

She's so humble and supportive… she's obviously a much better guitarist than I was, but here she was prodding me on – all the more reason for me to admire her. I wanted to be a great musician like her, so I had to ask…

"I guess you're right…" I said as I heaved a sigh, "So anyways... I wondering if you could teach me guitar onee-chan."

"Teach you, huh…" She replied rubbing her chin, "Sorry Ui, I don't think I'll be able to teach you anything… I don't even know any terminology or whatever."

"Is that so…"

"Well, you could ask Sawa-chan! She helped me play and sing at the same time…" She then suggested, "though her methods might be a little extreme."

"Yeah…" I said, remembering the ordeal too, "Because of that, Mio-senpai had to fill in for you at last year's Cultural Festival."

"Uh-huh, but it was worth it." She said in a rare gracious tone, "Then… yeah! I got it! Ask Azu-nyan! She helps me every now and then!"

"Azusa does?" I asked. I sorta figured that was the case…

"Yeah!" Onee-chan replied, "Azu-nyan's an awesome guitarist! She knows quite a lot about guitars too! Well, a lot more than me at least aheheh~ I'm sure she'll be able to help you out!"

"Didn't think of that before… thanks onee-chan!" I said, taking out my phone to text Azusa, "I'll ask her right now!"

Just then, a loud whistling sound reached our ears.

"Oh, dinner's ready!" I said, finishing the text and sending it, "Let's go onee-chan!"

Onee-chan and I then walked out of the room, headed for the kitchen. Turning off the light, I looked back at my room one more time, seeing Tele and the bear illuminated by the hallway light and said,

"I'll be back in a while Tele!"

Now, I have dinner to serve.

* * *

I woke up early the next day, a good hour and a half before school started. Going through my morning routine, I brushed my hair, got into my uniform and prepared my things. On top of that though, I also readied Tele and his gig bag. Done... now where's my cellphone? Ah, there it is. Picking it up, it still displayed one of the last few messages she sent me.

"_You want me to teach you guitar Ui? Well, sure why not! Bring Tele over to school tomorrow – I want to see him too!"_

Just then, I remembered that Azusa was a bit of a Fender fan - her decision to buy the Fender Mustang being a point in case. When I told her I chose a Telecaster, she was stoked! However, if Tele and her Mustang are both Fenders, does that make them brothers too? Food for thought - I'll ask Satoshi what he thinks about it later today. He likes talking about those sort of things, hehe.

Anyways, locking the keypad of my phone, I put on the gig bag and my school bag and carried the two downstairs. Placing them by the anteroom, I saw that Gitah's gig bag was there too. She must have placed him there last night after dinner – she's becoming more responsible lately. That's good. Leaving my things there, I went over to the kitchen, put on the apron and started preparing breakfast and lunch. Checking the calendar nearby, I realized it was Friday.

"It's Satoshi-kun's mystery day…" I said, trying to think of a surprise he would like, "I got it; Yakisoba!"

If there was a foodstuff that would make Satoshi-kun smile on even the ''crappiest' (as _he_ would put it - him and his potty mouth, tsk, tsk) days, it would have to be noodles. Recently, when he walks with us to school, he's been looking quite tired. It was as if he had been staying late… school project perhaps? In any case, he'll love this. I'm sure of it! Readying the rice cooker, I fired up a pan and prepared the yakisoba noodles too. Time for me to get to work!

I opened the refrigerator and quickly saw our stock of chopped onions in a prominent spot. There wasn't much left since I've been using onions in the meals one way or another, but there was enough for today's Yakisoba. I still remember the time onee-chan and Satoshi-kun fought by chopping onions - I spent a while cleaning up the mess they made, but I was happy. They were just thinking about me - I just wish they could have settled their argument in a more diplomatic way. Satoshi-kun told me that things could have taken a turn for School Days that day... Knowing that anime very well (I watched with Ritsu-nee and Satoshi-kun when they had a re-run a few weeks back), it wouldn't have been a very pleasant thing.

Grabbing everything else I needed from the icebox, I finished cooking and got on to my next job; waking up onee-chan. Climbing up the stairs, humming a tune, I entered her room. Just as I thought, she fast asleep holding on to Gitah as she lay there in bed. She really loves Gitah huh… Satoshi-kun wasn't kidding when he told me about that. I guess that means Ritsu-nee sees onee-chan cuddle with her guitar often too – it must be a cute sight.

"Onee-chan," I said as I tapped my sleeping sister's shoulder, "breakfast is ready."

"Breakfast! It's morning already?" She then gasped, springing upright while still holding Gitah, "Go! Go! Go!"

"My, you're lively today!" I said happily as she energetically got ready to go

"You're bringing Tele to school today right?" She asked happily

"Yeah."

"It's gonna be the first time we go to school together with our guitars." She explained, "That's why I'm so excited! I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

So that's why she already had the guitar case downstairs… wait a second. If the case is downstairs and Gitah is here, then…

"The case is empty." Onee-chan said, sticking out her tongue. Well… the bag did look a little flat… "But my other things are ready to go."

She is getting more responsible, but I guess some things will never change. Onee-chan will never be able to go to sleep here without Gitah… Oh well. I can't sleep without playing Tele either – that should mean we're even, sorta. Hehe. I left the room for now to let onee-chan finish changing and then the two of us came down for breakfast.

After the meal, we picked up our things in the anteroom and put on our shoes. Onee-chan and I then went on outside into the morning sunlight. Feeling the chilly wind blow by, it wasn't as warm as we thought it would be.

"It's getting colder, isn't it?" Onee-chan asked, shivering a little bit

"It's almost November after all." I explained, "They say it's going to snow early this year."

"Is that so?" Onee-chan said, "Oh look over there! Everyone's here!"

Turning to where she pointed, I saw Ritsu-nee, Mio-senpai and Satoshi-kun walking down the road to our home. Seeing us in the distance, the three waved and quickened their pace.

"Ah-hah!" Ritsu-nee said excitedly as they neared, "The Hirasawa sisters be jammin' today!"

"Ahehehe~" Onee-chan blushed, "You know Riichan, I was planning to make Ui let her hair down and wear a hairclip."

"If you did that…" Mio-senpai said, "Then you two would look exactly alike!"

True enough, when I wore my hair down and put on that clip, Mio-senpai didn't recognize me at all.

"Well~" Onee-chan said fidgeting mushily, "That was the plan. Now that we're both bringing out guitars to school, we're gonna be like twins!"

Onee-chan finds happiness in the simplest of things, but that's something I like about onee-chan. It doesn't take much to make her smile.

"If you two are gonna be going off as twins," Satoshi-kun then said coming to me pulling me closer to him, "then you'd better tell me who's who! I wouldn't know who to hug!"

Everyone then laughed and we all started walking to school together. Oh Satoshi-kun, if onee-chan did that, then I'd hug you first! Anyways, it was nice to see him particularly happy this Friday morning. Nonetheless the faint presence of black rings under his eyes was a little bit concerning. The moment I gave him his lunch though, he smiled.

"I hope you'll like it. You've seemed rather tired lately, so I made you something special!"

"Thanks Ui, I'm looking forward to lunch now thanks to you!" He said, taking the lunch gleefully, "But don't worry about me though, I'm totally fine. I haven't forgotten about today either, you know! That movie you wanted to see is coming out today, right?"

"You remembered!" I said, pleasantly surprised that he still remembered that. It's been three weeks since I told him about that movie – I'm touched he actually kept it in mind.

"So I'll see you later after school then!" He said as we approached his school, "I'll meet you at Sakura-gakou, aight?"

"Yeah, see you Satoshi-kun!" I said embracing him before we parted, "I love you!"

"I love you more!" He called back as he walked on, disappearing into the crowd of Osaka West students. The rest of us then carried on our way to school. Once we were finally out of the Osaka West area, Ritsu-nee walked beside me and prodded,

"Five weeks and going strong! You're making that little devil of a brother quite happy, you know that?"

"Actually," I said blushing a little bit, "I'm the one who feels quite happy being with him."

"Is that so?" She replied with a smile.

"But, he does seem quite tired recently," I said voicing my concerns, telling Ritsu-nee about the things I've been noting since this Monday.

"Ah, you noticed that too…" Ritsu-nee said, "I'm glad you're quite caring about that little dude, but I assure you it ain't anything bad."

"Really?" I asked, still concerned, "He looks like he hasn't been sleeping well…"

"That's true…" She replied, scratching her face, "but you see, whenever that kid is serious about something, he stresses himself out to make it work. I did that too when I bought my first drum set! I loved it so much, I just wouldn't get up from the seat! Haha, Satoshi-kun whined for a while about me being too loud… until I taught him drums of course. Also…"

She then pointed to Mio-senpai and said,

"It's just like Mio here! This gal's pretty darn serious when it comes to writing lyrics – she spends all night working on em too. She's passionate about it! I mean, just look at Fuwa Fuwa Time! It's a pretty damn good first song for the HTT."

Just then Mio-senpai took a long yawn and her eyes drooped for a moment. She _was_ staying up late too! When she saw us looking at her though, she quickly returned to normal.

"Is something wrong guys?" She asked

"Nothing really." Ritsu-nee said with a dry laugh. Making sure we were out of earshot of Mio-senpai, she continued talking. "You see, Mio here may be _physically_ tired, having slept late and all, but I betcha her soul's bursting with energy. It's inspiration, Ui."

"Inspiration…" I repeated to myself, recalling Satoshi's tired yet cheerful smile.

"Yeah, inspiration." Ritsu-nee said, "I'm sure Satoshi-kun already told you this, but when I was teaching him the drums, I told him that drummers are the rhythm of the band who always prods the other people onwards."

"He told me that, yeah." I said, remembering him say that when he helped me memorize those lyrics

"Well, ask yourself this question." Ritsu-nee proposed, "Who or what gives the rhythm to the drummer?"

Not waiting for an answer, she then pointed to her chest and said,

"It's the heart, Ui."

"I don't exactly know all of that psychological stuff," she continued, "but I think that when we're inspired, our hearts give us that rhythm. So, we're compelled to follow it, y'know? Even if it's tiring, we'll do it cause our hearts won't let us sleep till we do!"

"I think I understand." I said, looking at the calluses forming on my fingertips. That's how I feel when I play Tele at night… That's how I feel when I sing…

"So don't you worry about Satoshi-kun, aight?" Ritsu-nee reassured, "He's a tough kid – he can take a lot of pressure. I mean, damn, he really did substitute for me at the Cultural Festival! Takes a lot of guts to do something like that."

"Hehe, you're right." I giggled, still remembering Satoshi-kun dressed up as Ritsu-nee. It was funny, but also heart-rending; how much he loved his sister and all. There's a lot of love in his heart. I saw it then, I am seeing it now. I shouldn't worry then.

"Who knows," Ritsu-nee then winked, "he might be making something special for you."

"Ah…" I said with a smile, "I see, I see…"

I think I have a good guess at what that _special something_ might be. Moments later, the four of us reached the Sakura-gakou campus. There, two familiar figures were waiting for me.

"Ui!" Jun cried, waving over to me as we approached. It was Jun and Azusa, both of them with their guitar cases slung over their shoulders.

"Morning Jun, Azusa, what's going on?" I asked, wondering why they were waiting out there.

"Big bro finally got us a regular practice spot!" Jun said happily, "Remember the Osaka Conservatory practice rooms?"

"You mean the ones we saw last Sunday?" I said, "Then that means…"

"Yup! Members of the Philharmonic have a pretty nice discount on the weekends." Jun explained, "Saturdays and Sundays, we'll have a room reserved for us! We even got a set for Satoshi and an extra amp for you too!"

"Excellent!" I said, amazed by their acquisition, "It's all coming together, huh…"

"Azusa!" Jun said, turning to our cute friend, "You should join us too! We could always use a second guitarist, you know."

"I'll have to pass." Azusa declined politely, "I have commitments with the HTT after all."

"I like your determination Azu-nyan!" Onee-chan then said passionately, "We'll surely get our shot at Budokan then!"

"That's right Yui!" Ritsu-nee seconded, "We're definitely gonna have a chance!"

"Yui, Ritsu… we still have a long way to go before we can even think of Budokan…" Mio-senpai reasoned, "But… yeah, we're getting there."

Seeing such determination in the members of the Hokago Tea Time, I'm pretty sure they'll get their chance. Hopefully, I'll get my chance too.

"Anyways Ui." Azusa-chan then said, "We've got some time before homeroom period. Want to come with me to the music room?"

"Of course!" I said eagerly, "Want to go too Jun?"

"Why not?" Jun said, "Anything's better than homeroom anyways."

"Lucky freshmen…" Ritsu-nee grumbled, "Having a later homeroom time than us sophs…"

"Ah well, we were freshies too once." Mio-senpai sighed

"And seniors have a lot more trips and stuff too!" Onee-chan added, "We'll get to go through it before them, wahahaha~!"

"What was that?" I asked, not really hearing their conversation clearly

"Nothing." Ritsu-nee said, "We'll see you guys later."

"Yeah, see you later everyone!"

The sophomores went on to their classrooms while me and my friends climbed up to the music room. We set our bags against the wall and the three of us sat on the sofa.

"Hey guys…" Azusa said as she laid back against the sofa, staring at the ceiling, "About the Light Music Club…"

"Yeah?" Jun asked, wondering what Azusa was talking about

"Erm... never mind." She said shaking her head, "Anyways, let's get down to business. Ui, would you mind showing me your guitar?"

"Ah, of course." I said, walking over to Tele's bag and drawing him out, "Here."

"You really got a Telecaster!" She then said, inspecting every part of the guitar, "It might be a Squier, but it looks fine to me!"

"Hmm, so why are we here again?" Jun asked

"Ui asked me if I could be her guitar tutor." Azusa explained as she took out her Fender Mustang, "Basses are guitars too, so I could help you out if you wanted to join in."

"Sure thing!" Jun cheered, getting her Yamaha SBV-500 Bass, "So, let's get started, eh?"

We did some finger-stretching exercises then got on to doing chromatic scales. Being veteran guitarists, Jun and Azusa were able to do it without too much trouble. I however made mistakes every so often. In the midst of these two guitarists, I felt a little small...

"Sorry." I apologized retuning my hand to the first fret, "I'll start over."

I started over again, but the mistakes were still there… I could only sigh. Azusa then looked at me with concern and asked me if I wanted to just continue later.

"We still have a few minutes." I declined, "I just need to… oh shoot."

"Ui," Azusa then said, "It's not bad to make mistakes every now and then, you know. Don't stress yourself out."

"But if I don't get it perfect…"

"It doesn't have to be perfect all the time." Azusa said with a smile, "We're human beings, we aren't perfect but that isn't bad. What matters is that we learn from our mistakes. When you lose, make sure you don't lose the lesson."

"That's a Dalai Lama quote." I said,

"Yup." Azusa said, "Do you still remember the performance at the Cultural Festival?"

"Of course I do."

"I was surprised by how accurately you played Yui-senpai's part of Fuwa Fuwa Time." Azusa explained, "However, I'm telling you now, you made some mistakes in some of the riffs. It wasn't perfect."

"It wasn't?" I gasped, "I… I was nervous."

"But you had fun." Azusa explained, "That's what made that performance so great. It doesn't have to be perfect, Ui. Just give it all you've got, have fun and, there!"

"And hey, for a beginner, you're really good!" Jun added, "You should have seen me when I first picked up the bass…"

"I see." I said, regaining my confidence somewhat, "So one more time?"

"Yeah." Azusa said, "Then we ought to go to class."

For the next few minutes or so, Azusa, Jun and I did some more chromatic scales. I got better and better with each time we went over it. Once the school bell rang though, we had to end our little session to go to class.

"We can do this every now and then." Azusa said as we gathered our things, "If you two were members of the Light Music Club, we could play till sunset… but you guys have your club activities."

"Yeah…" Jun said apologetically, "But if being in a band turns out to be nice, Ui and I might change our minds. Right Ui?"

"Uh-huh." I said happily, "Actually, I'm already considering it."

"Thanks guys." Azusa then said with an honestly happy smile on her face "Let's go to class."

* * *

Later that day…

"Satoshi-kun!"

"Ui!" Satoshi-kun said as I met him at the front gates of Sakura-gakou.

"Are you ready to go Satoshi-kun?" I asked. He smiled and gave me a cheerful nod,

"By the way, that Yakisoba really hit the spot. Thanks Ui."

"I'm glad you liked it."

Satoshi-kun and I then went on our way to the train station to catch a train to downtown Osaka. The main movie theater was quite far after all and there was a station nearby, so the train was our best option. As we waited for the train, he and I just chattered on as we usually would.

"Hey Satoshi-kun," I said as I held onto Tele's bag, "if Tele is a Fender and Azusa's Mustang is a Fender… then would that make them brothers?"

"They'd be cousins." Satoshi-kun laughed, "Tele's actually a Squier (though Fender pretty much owns them) and her Mustang's a Fender. But… technically, they're brothers."

"I guess you're right."

Looking at the side of his face, he was smiling and that made me happy. However, just like earlier, the rings under his eyes caught my attention. The train arrived and the two of us sat together. Satoshi-kun sat at my side and Tele rested on the other. We kept on talking to keep each other entertained through the long-ish train ride, but Satoshi-kun's drowsiness was slowly starting to manifest.

"You know, if you're tired, you can always take a nap." I said, patting my shoulder, "I don't mind."

"You sure Ui?" He asked shyly, cautiously putting his head on my shoulder, "Thanks a lot."

"It's alright." I said, resting the side of my head in his hair, "You were up all night, weren't you?"

"Yeah…" Satoshi-kun said

"And I assume you were writing lyrics."

"How did you…"

"Lucky guess." I said with a smile, "Though Ritsu-nee kinda gave me some hints, hehe."

Resting on my shoulder, Satoshi-kun fell silent and blushed.

"I'm glad you were thinking about me." I said, "But don't stress yourself out over that too much."

"But… I wanted it to be a surprise so it had to be perfect…"

Perfect, huh… so we both think about that…

"It doesn't have to be perfect." I comforted, "It's the effort that counts – as long as you're able to write and have fun doing it is good enough for me."

Kissing his hair, I carried on,

"Knowing that someone is looking out for me the way you are is more than enough for me."

"I see." Satoshi-kun said yawning, "Thanks Ui. Wake me up when we get to the station, will ya?"

"Sure thing."

"Oh…" He said, "There's something in my coat pocket you might want to see."

Using my free hand, I reached into his coat pocket and found a small notebook. I was thinking about asking him what it was, but Satoshi-kun was already fast asleep. Flipping open the front cover, I saw pages filled with neat writing – lyrics along with notes. At the top of the first page was the title 'A song for Ui' crossed out. In its stead was the title 'Oui! Ai Kotoba'… Going through the pages, I felt the effort Satoshi-kun had put into this piece of work. He did this for me? I'm so touched.

Turning to the boy sleeping on my shoulder, I whispered something in his ear.

"I love you Satoshi-kun, from the bottom of my heart."

**To Be Continued**


	11. Even An Exhibition Game Would Do

**Author's Notes: **Hooray, it's snowing here in my town. Whooh! My academic path is also relatively clear till late November, so I'll have a little bit more spare time on my hands to do the things I love - writing this story and turning songs like Parokya ni Edgar's _Harana_ and Jason Mraz's _Lucky_ into rock ballads on the electric guitar. I can even play a bit of Fuwa Fuwa Time! Ohyeh! Anyways, here you go dear readers! Chapter 11, Go! Oh, and reviews are always appreciated! Don't be shy :D

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 11**

Francis, Jun, Ui and I were together in the center of a practice room of the posh Osaka conservatory. With our instruments at hand, we played the song that had brought us together in the first place. After a couple of run-throughs, we had more or less gotten the hang of the song. On our last run though, Ui and I had a little surprise for the Suzuki siblings – something she and I have been working on for a while now. We ran through the song with the lyrics I had made for that tune, adding the vocal parts on the spot. Our companions were amazed for a while, going out of tune for a second or so before getting back on track. The last verse of the song came and as Francis, Jun and I played along with Ui's guitar, our eyes and ears were on her, listening to her beautiful voice.

**…**

"_Always smiling, I will say 'oui!'_

_To everyone I meet, I'll share with them the, words of my heart."_

"_Tomorrow and the day after that,_

_And over and beyond I'll share my love, with this beautiful world; _

_These words about love_."

**…**

A few more bars of extro ensued and the song ended with Ui's passionate humming. She and I have been practicing those lyrics for quite some time now but her voice never ceases to amaze me. That's my Ui! Anyways, still amazed by our surprise, the siblings set aside their instruments and turned their attention to us.

"You guys are something else!" Francis praised, "I can't believe you already got lyrics done for that song, Satoshi!"

"And you learned the lyrics so quickly too Ui!" Jun added, "That means we just finished our first song! Imagine that!"

Ui and I looked at each other and smiled. Seems they liked our surprise. Awesomeness.

"But man, dude… wow…" Francis said, struggling to find words to say, "You actually wrote something like that?"

"Yeah." I admitted, "I put the song to heart and this is what I came up with."

"And the French?" Francis asked with a raised brow, "When did you decide to take up French?"

"Like I said, I felt like it." I explained, "Own, do, try. Simple stuff, right?"

"It's un, deux, trois, my friend…" Francis corrected… sheesh, I'm gonna have to change those typos then… crazy French spelling, not to mention the pronunciation. I mean how do you pronounce something like 'De la Croix' anyways?

"Is it?" Ui panicked, "Oh gee, that means I've been saying it wrong then…"

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem Hirasawa-san, Satoshi." Francis reassured, "Kotobuki-san was like that when we first had a French tutor come over – it just takes some getting used to."

"Oh right…" Ui said, remembering that Mugi-senpai had to take French for the Philharmonic's concert in Montreal, "I guess I shouldn't worry then."

Indeed, it shouldn't be too much of a problem since that song only had a few French words here and there. And hey, Japanese artists mispronounce English whenever they have it in their songs everyday. We _are_ Japanese people after all so we just have to keep doing our best to stay consistent… though I can't say the same applies to Francis and Jun… and Mugi-senpai.

"Anyways," Jun said stretching a bit, "I guess we could call that a wrap. We did really well guys! Especially you Ui!"

"Thanks Jun." Ui said happily

"So why don't we go grab something to eat? We can't bring snacks and drinks here after all." Jun suggested, "Some coffee should do the trick!"

"Yeah, some coffee would be nice." I said looking out the window and watching a light flurry fall from the skies. Wintertime was here.

"If we're going out, then we should invite Mugi-senpai too." Ui then added, "Since we all know her and she's here, we might as well go together right?"

"Sure, why not?" Francis agreed, "The more the merrier, right?"

"Yeah," Ui nodded, "now that it's snowing, we ought to stay together."

Collecting our things from the practice room, Jun, Francis, Ui and I went out to the hallways to look for Mugi-senpai. It didn't take long for us to find her. As we were leaving our room, Mugi-senpai happened to pass by. Sadly, Francis didn't notice her immediately and the poor guy bumped into her, making a few sheets of paper take to the sky.

"Argh, sorry Kotobuki-san!" Francis quickly apologized, helping Mugi-senpai back to her feet, "I'll help you pick these up. Are you okay?"

"Ah, thanks Suzuki-san." Mugi-senpai said, "And yes, I'm alright."

The two of them then picked up the handful of papers and Mugi-senpai swiftly rearranged them and put them neatly in her bag.

"Thanks for your help Suzuki-kun." Mugi-senpai repeated, nodding in acknowledgement, "But please do be careful next time."

"I'll try to." Francis laughed apologetically, "Anyways Kotobuki-san, the four of us were just about to head out and grab some coffee downtown and we figured we should ask you if you wanted to tag along."

"Coffee downtown?" Mugi-senpai asked intrigued, "Oh sure! That would be lovely."

"I should probably treat you this time too." Francis added with a friendly tone, "It's my way of making up for not looking where was going."

"You're treating me too?" Mugi-senpai said pleased, "All the more reason for me to go!"

With that, the five of us walked out of the Conservatory and into the light flurry outside. The colder than usual weather compelled me and Ui to walk a little bit faster – we weren't used to negative one-degree Celcius after all. Francis, Jun and Mugi-senpai however didn't seem too bothered… Then I remembered that Canada and Finland were countries that had winters worse than ours – they were already used to it. Rather than snarking about something that involved global warming and polar bears, I decided it was in my best interest to avoid turning into an icicle first. I held on to Ui's hand as we hobbled into the coffee shop to warm ourselves. Seeing my girl smile at me as we locked fingers, it didn't take long for our souls to thaw. Whenever we were together, we were never really cold after all.

Before long, our winter-proof companions arrived too. The three were unfazed by the snow on their hair and jackets, making me wonder just how much cold these three could take. I'll think about that later. Leaving our snow-coated jackets at the store entrance, we entered the coffee shop and placed our orders of coffee, tea and sandwiches. As promised, Francis did pay for Mugi-senpai's order (though he looked a little worried as he realized he was on his last hundred kinsus for the week) then took our seats to wait for our orders. Minutes later, the barista called out our orders; it was time to pick them up.

"I'll go get it." Mugi-senpai said, volunteering to go fetch our orders for us

"I'll help out." Francis said going with Mugi-senpai and the two of them went to retrieve the trays. Now that those two were gone, Ui and I turned to Jun and asked her the question that had been on our minds for a while now,

"Do you think that those two…"

"That those two…?" Jun asked, not really sure what we were asking. Wow... this girl was remarkably slow at picking things up, but I didn't tell her that.

"Do you think those two are going out?" I clarified

"Big bro and Kotobuki-san? Going out? Ha!" Jun laughed, "No way man! The Halifax Mooseheads have a better chance of winning the Canadian Hockey League cup than those two ever going out! Those two are buddies – I mean look at them!"

True enough, the two of them were horsing around at the condiments section; Francis was talking while holding a shaker of cinnamon and Mugi-senpai was covering her mouth to keep herself from laughing out loud. She did some sort of gesture, acting out the way she poured tea and Francis watched in an 'I didn't think of that' manner. They were together out there alright, but it wasn't romantic. The two came back with our orders and a still chuckling Mugi-senpai said,

"Did you know Suzuki-san unloaded a whole shaker of cinnamon into a latte once?"

So that's what Francis was telling her…

"It's true…" Francis then testified, "Didn't want the coffee to go to waste so I drank it anyways."

"Oh, I remember that!" Jun laughed, "You were hyper after that, then you crashed the moment you got home!"

"And I had one hell of a sugar hangover…" Francis said, making the rest of us laugh. Francis crashed once in the Press Room two months ago – yet another coffee induced incidence. This guy had a history with coffee…

Yup... definitely not romantic at all... How could this guy claim to want to date one of the HTT members and treat Mugi-senpai like one of the guys like this? I'll probably never know...

"So tell me everyone," Mugi-senpai said changing the topic in an excited tone, "how are things going for your band?"

"It's going really well Mugi-senpai." Ui said happily, taking a sip of tea, "Do you remember that song we played for everyone two weeks ago?"

"Of course." Mugi-senpai replied, "It was a very nice tune."

"Well, Satoshi-kun drafted up some lyrics for it and we just went through it at practice a while ago." Ui continued, "We just finished our first song!"

"Oh, congratulations then everyone." Mugi-senpai said in a pleased tone, "At this rate, you might be ready for a performance sometime soon!"

"Do you think so Mugi-senpai?" Jun said a little shyly, "We've only been together for two weeks after all – I don't know if we're ready for a live performance yet."

"In time, I'm sure you'll be ready." Mugi-senpai clarified, calming down our bassist

"Mugi-senpai's right." Ui encouraged, "If we just keep putting effort into our practices, I'm sure we'll be ready in no time."

"When you guys do have a live performance, please tell us about it." Mugi-senpai said turning to me and Ui, "I'm sure Riichan, Yui-chan and the rest of the girls would love to watch."

"Sure thing," our band promised Mugi-senpai and the five of us hung around the shop. We chatted about Christmas, the birthdays that were coming up (Yui-nee's 17th was next week, my 16th was on the 2nd week of December) and listening to Francis and Jun's stories from the land of mystery known as Canada and one of its famous or infamous delicacies.

"You guys have to try Poutine out sometime." Francis said, "It's basically French Fries with a topping of gravy and melted cheese curds."

"Gravy and cheese curds?" I asked, a little unsettled by that concoction, "You guys actually eat that?"

Turning to Ui expecting the same reaction, she was totally calm! She must have been thinking of a way to integrate that into her repertoire somehow...

"Uh, yeah?" Jun said, supporting her brother, "It is the most awesome snack for watching hockey! Just be sure not to have it on your lap in the last two minutes of the game."

"Agreed…" Francis said sadly, already coming up with an anecdote concerning a bath of gravy. We spent the next hour or so just doing things like that and taking it easy. At the back of my head though, I could help but think about the promise we made to Mugi-senpai. Sure, the HTT would love to watch our live performance when we get one… but when _do_ we get one… and how?

"Something up Satoshi-kun?" Ui then said, noticing that I was deep in thought

"Ah… I was just thinking," I said turning to her, "when we are ready to do a performance, how _do_ we get to do a performance?"

"Oh… I never thought of that before…" Ui said, now sharing my curiosity. "Uhm, Mugi-senpai?"

"Yes?" She asked, still wearing a smile from one of the Suzuki sibling's many anecdotes

"Satoshi-kun and I were thinking, you see," Ui said rubbing her chin, "if, say, our band is ready to perform sometime soon, would you happen to know about any event of sorts that we could join?"

"You mean a gig?" Mugi-senpai said, asking for clarification. The two of us nodded. "Actually, the girls and I were talking about this not too long ago. We had a plan to go to perform at a live house at New Year's eve, but it was already fully-booked when we inquired."

"Even HTT doesn't have a gig huh…" I sighed,

"But I'm sure we'll be able to find something." Mugi-senpai said optimistically, "I'm sure you too will find one."

"Yeah…" I said, looking out the window and seeing the snow, "hopefully."

I guess we'll have some gig-searching to do this week...

* * *

Another week passed by and our unnamed band had finally mastered our first song. Though we only had repertoire of one original song as well an instrumental cover of Viva La Vida we messed around with during practice breaks, we felt like we were ready to take on a live performance. Just like the week before that, our search for potential gigs had been fruitless. Mugi-senpai told us that the HTT had managed to find an opening in the New Year performance at the local live house but that they couldn't accommodate our band too. Even after doing some sleuthing through the Press Club's network, we couldn't find a potential gig… Like summer, many bands went out to perform in the winter holidays so all the places around town were booked. Bummer. Without any luck on that front, we decided to turn our attention to school for now. Like Mugi-senpai said, we'll have our chance in time – we don't have to stress it. For now, Francis and I had yet another school assembly to attend… oh joy.

"Assembly again…" Francis groaned as he and I walked with our classmates to the school auditorium in Osaka West on a Monday afternoon, "You know, these assemblies are just a load of bull if you ask me – just a waste of time."

"I can see what you mean," I agreed, "It's only a chance for that lame excuse for a principal to act like he's doing something…"

Muttering on about our displeasure, Francis and I entered the auditorium. We took a seat at the far end of the auditorium, as far away from the stage as possible so we could talk on with impunity. Just then, a familiar figure joined us at our corner and sat beside us.

"Hey Tainaka-san, Suzuki-san," she greeted with a serious tone, "I've got some scoop."

"Oh hey senpai." I said, "What's up?"

"It's budget cut time again." She said with a sad voice, "There's talk about this being the one to finally shut down the whole music department entirely."

"The whole music department?" Francis gasped, "That's cruel!"

"I know right?" Senpai said, sharing his disgust, "Three years ago, they cut the funding for the West's Light Music Club, two years ago the glee club, and last year the brass and woodwind band… now they're going for the rest of the clubs in one fell swoop."

"Would everyone please join in the singing of the school song." A music teacher then said, coming over to a piano set up on stage. He walked with a slightly uneven gait and a small frown on his face, but he played the song as he always did every week. We and our fellow students sang the song too, but there was an air of melancholy about. It must have been about the upcoming budget cuts…

"The whole student body is against these cuts," Senpai said as soon as the song ended, "and insider reports say most of the teachers are against it too."

As soon as the song ended, the music teacher stood abruptly and momentarily glared at the principal before walking out of stage.

"The situation's a powder keg by the looks of it." I said, hearing grumbles circulating around the auditorium, "Now, he just has to make it official…"

The principal, still shaken by the silent outburst of the music teacher took to the soapbox and talked about the need of the school to manage its finances. Then he dropped the bomb, turning those rumors into impending realities – the school was going to shut down the rest of the organized music organizations of Osaka West High School and sell off the music stock of the school to raise funds. The grumbles grew louder, but no shouting ensued. This was official school business after all, and the students didn't have a say in the school's finances. Francis, senpai and I and a handful of our colleagues in the Press club however thought otherwise.

"We can't let him just get away with this…" Senpai said, "Just because he's the principal doesn't mean he's infallible – he's a human too after all."

"You're right senpai…" Francis agreed, "we have to do something… but what?"

Burying my face in my hands, I ran my fingers through my hair as I pondered about the situation at hand. Then, it hit me.

"We have to start a revolution."

"A revolution?" The two asked in tandem

"Yes," I said with a grin, "a music revolution. We're going to protest with music."

"Oh-hoh!" Senpai said happily, "I like that idea Tainaka-san! Always ready to revolt – I like that!"

"Same here." Francis smirked, "But how exactly do you plan to execute this Satoshi?"

"We're going to hold an unofficial Winter Music Festival right here in Osaka West." I explained, "We'll invite the old Light Music Club. We'll invite the old Glee Club. We'll invite the old big band. We'll invite anyone with any music talent whatsoever here in the school! We'll make our voices heard!"

"We can use the Press Club's network to spread the news." Senpai added, "Don't worry, I'll get the rest of the boys and girls on board with this too."

"That would work." Francis said, impressed by the idea, "We could even get our band to perform there too – it'll be our debut."

"And we'll invite the HTT." I added, "If we invite them, we're sure to draw a crowd – it'll start a lot of fire."

"Gotta love media-incited fire." Senpai smirked, "That half-assed principal of ours won't know what hit him!"

With that, the assembly finally came to an end and the three of us marched on to the Press Room to get our revolution started. Supposedly it was lunchtime for us, but lunch could wait till later. Flyers had to be printed; posters had to be made. Papers had to be drafted; blogs had to be linked and re-linked. I could eat the lunch Ui made for me in the Press Room after all, so that won't be too much of a problem.

For as long as I can remember, the Press Club had been waiting for a chance to push the envelope in making the student's voices heard. This was it – we were going to pull out all the stops. This time though, Francis and I would be supporting the Press Club in a different front. Rather than pen and paper, we were going to fight with a drumset and a violin. This was getting exciting. Taking out my cellphone, I gave Ui a call.

"Hey Ui!" I said

"Satoshi-kun!" Ui said happily, "Hello there! What's up?"

"Guess what Ui." I said excitedly, "We finally got ourselves a gig!"

"We did?" Ui replied amazed, "Really?"

"Yes!" I assured, "Could you tell Jun-chan that we're going to have a band meeting after class? We're got lots to talk about."

"Sure thing!" Ui said cheerfully, "Wow, imagine that… we've only been a band for three weeks; now we get to have a debut performance!"

"I know right?" I said as I entered the Press Room, "Anyways, I have to go. Francis and I have some work to do – it's about the performance too."

"Ah, alright. Take care Satoshi-kun and see you later! I love you!"

"I love you too Ui!"

With a smile on my face, I set aside my cellphone and sat with the rest of the Press Club members in the Press Room. Never before have I been this excited to be in the Press Room. Hearing senpai talk to everyone there, explaining our modus operandi and organizing the workload for everyone was always uplifting to see. On top of that, this was yet another step to helping Ui realize her dream... We're getting there Ui, we're getting there. Alright then everyone… let's start a revolution!

**To Be Continued**


	12. Viva La Revolucion!

**Author's Notes:**Do you hear that people? It's the sound of impending Finals Exams marching out. That time of year again... You know what that means - time for another hiatus in the near future till I get things under control. Before that, I'll try to pump out what I can since I care for you guys that much :D. With great love comes great word count however, I hope you all understand that :P. So grab a few snacks and some drinks and thank you again for following! Reviews are welcome as always and appreciated too! Hope you guys enjoy it!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 12**

Osaka West Public High School Press Room, 5PM in the afternoon. A symphony of sound mixed together in that room; synchronized keyboard tapping, the sound of packing tape being torn off supply boxes, printers pumping out flyers in a frenzy, the crunching tone of the stapler and the punchers going off and the grunts of the twelve members of the Osaka West press… all of it orchestrated by the sophomore girl Francis and I called senpai.

"Double time people! Double time!" She cried, giving orders as she signed permission slips and official documents hurriedly, "This thing ain't gonna start itself you know! Get those blogs done! Link and re-link! Rick-roll em' if you have to! Fill up the printers already! Get those flyers to Distribution! Don't hog the staple… argh! You broke it! You~! Get me another stapler over here!"

Whether or not this symphony of sounds fell under the category of music could be debated (didn't sound like any song I was aware of… not by a longshot), but there was one thing I could say about it. It sounded like revolution – something that had been waiting to happen for a long time now. Ui and Jun, our guests that afternoon, heard and watched the scene unfold before them with jaws dropped – seems they could hear it too.

The two of them were seated on the sofa of the Press Room's mini-foyer while Francis and I were still holed up in our cubicle, filling up a delivery box with the flyers we've already pumped out.

"We'll be with you in a while!" I called to the two, poking my head out from the cubicle, "We just have to get this last box filled!"

"Could we help out?" Jun asked

"Nah, we got this." Francis reassured, "There, we're done."

Francis and I then announced that we had finished our box and a girl member came rushing to us with a cart already bearing a number of similar boxes. She was one of those people who had been hostile to me before, but for this event, we put that enmity behind us. We loaded the box to the cart and she said in a plain voice,

"Good work you two."

Revolutionary solidarity is a beautiful thing. Getting out from our cubicle and stretching, Francis and I joined our guests at the foyer.

"Sorry to keep you two waiting." I said sitting beside Ui and kissing her cheek

"It's alright Satoshi-kun." Ui said with a smile, "You were working hard after all."

She then turned to the factory-like scene and asked,

"But what _are_ you guys working on?"

"I think this would answer your question, Hirasawa-san." Senpai said, dropping by the foyer to hand a flyer each to our guests

"The first Osaka West Winter Music Festival; The Music Lives On!" Ui said, reading the header, "What a nice title!"

"Hey, I know this picture…" Jun said, pointing to flyer's background, "This is Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix."

"Yes it is." Senpai said, "Francis here chose that pic – we felt it was appropriate."

"This picture symbolizes the French revolution right?" Ui asked, trying to find a connection between the French revolution and the Music festival, "are you saying you're…"

"That's right good lady," Senpai said with a grin, "We're starting a revolution; a music revolution! Don't worry - we won't be using guillotines here."

Knowing senpai though, I felt like there was a certain principal she'd like to have guillotined... though even she wouldn't go that far I guess. Taking a break from signing, she then went on to tell the girls tales of the music groups that had been shut down and the situation the school had gotten into. Every story she told made the girls cringe in shock. Studying in a school with a rich musical culture such as Sakura-gakou, Ui and Jun were definitely shocked that something like this could ever happen to the organized music groups in our school, let alone the entire department. Senpai then told them about the upcoming budget cuts and the fate of the entire Music and Arts department that hung on a balance, throwing in a barrage of fiery rhetoric for good measure.

"Are we going to let them get away with this, comrades? Will we stand by and let them kill the music? The answer is no!" Senpai cried passionately, shaking her fist as she got lost in her earnest rambling "For as long as there is a person with a heart beating his or her own tune, we will fight tooth and nail to make sure that The Music Lives On!"

With that, Ui, Jun and the entire room broke into a tearful applause. She really knew how to play her rhetoric huh – even I felt shivers going up my spine back there.

"But how do you guys plan to advertise this event?" Jun then asked curiously, "I mean the flyers are great and all, but do you really think you'll draw a crowd?"

"We're gonna use the Osaka West Press network of course!" Senpai explained, "Aside from handing out flyers, we've got a lot of connections to the local community – social networking, addresses, blog sites and much more! We're bound to reach quite a number of people with just that."

"And to top it all off…" Francis added, "We're going to invite the HTT to perform too. They're already a bit of a prominent band in these parts – that'll ensure a full house, guaranteed."

"They won't be the only ones performing though." I added. "We already invited the West's defunct Light Music Club and the other music groups to perform. Francis and I even have a little number with them to start off the show."

"Oh really?" Ui said intrigued, "What are you guys performing?"

"An instrumental of Viva La Vida." Francis said, "We're performing with the old groups and the Theater group even said they'd put a mini-production together for the song by then. It's gonna be quite the opener."

"Uh-huh." I continued, "A handful of musicians from the West itself volunteered to perform too - singers, guitarists, amateur bands... we even have a guy on the shamisen! What was his name... Tamura? Yeah, Tamura. Anyways, I figured this would be a chance for us to make our debut, don't you think?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Ui said supportively, "I'd be happy to help out in an event like this! When is it going to be held?"

"In two weeks." Francis said folding his arms, "Are you guys up for that?"

"Two weeks!" Jun gasped, "Are you kidding me? That's too soon!"

"Ah Jun-chan, I'm sure we'll do fine." Ui reassured, "You're brother is a performing caliber violinist and you've been a jazz bassist for a very long time now."

"Actually, it's me and Ui who have to be worrying." I added, "We're the amateurs in the group after all – but we can handle it, right Ui?"

"That's right." Ui smiled, happy that I shared her determination, "Music is a gift we were blessed with, and we have to share it. It's our duty!"

"And be shared it must," Senpai added cheerfully, "regardless of income levels and political ideology."

"So are you in on this or not Jun?" Francis asked his sister

Our bassist sighed and smiled.

"I might as well. Shouldn't turn my back on friends after all at times like this – count me in guys!"

"It's settled then; your band will be performing in two weeks." Senpai said, adding us to the roster, "What should I put as your band name?"

"Erm… we haven't come up with one yet." I admitted, making senpai frown, "We've only been together as a band for less than a month you see."

"Well, you guys had better think of one before the show." Senpai advised, "I may not know much about bands, but I'm pretty sure you don't want to go out on stage on your debut without a name."

The four of us promised her to have one by performance night.

"But if we are going to perform so soon…" Jun reasoned, "then we'd better practice more often than once a week… It pays to be prepared after all."

"Jun's right." Ui said, "We will have to do practices on the weekdays then. Is that alright with everyone?"

"I'm totally fine with it Hirasawa-san." Francis said

"Same here Ui." I added, "But where do you plan to have practices?"

"Sakura-gakou." Ui smiled, "If we're going to perform with onee-chan's band, then wouldn't it help to practice with them too?"

"I second that!" Francis approved emphatically. He seemed oddly apt to go to Sakura-gakou and I had a good guess as to what his motives were.

"I guess that would work." I said, "With that… I'd say its meeting convened. Is there anything else you guys think we should talk about?"

No one said a word and our emergency band meeting came to a close. Since most of the work at the Press Room was already finished, senpai let us off early and we decided to call it a day. We pretty much exhausted the Press Club's excess paper supply already, printing out the flyers after all.

"See you guys later!" Francis called as he and Jun went on their path home. Returning their farewell, Ui and I walked down our path. We always walked to school together down that road, but we rarely took it back at the same time; especially not during weekdays.

"A Winter Music Festival." Ui said in a dreamy tone, watching her breath rise up as fog, "I can't believe we're finally going to perform live."

"Yeah." I said, sharing her amazement, "Do you think Yui-nee will want to join in too though?"

"Of course!" Ui laughed heartily, "Onee-chan loves to perform, you know. Just like us, she want to make it big too."

"That's true." I sighed. I then raised my hand and started counting the number of approvals. "With Yui-nee, that's one out of five… Big sis would want to perform too, so two. Mugi-senpai would tag along too, and we have three..."

"And you have a majority decision!" Ui reasoned, "Plus, Mio-senpai and Azusa-chan wouldn't pass up a performance for anything!"

"Still, we'd better talk with our sisters about this." I cautioned, "They've got their own things to do after all."

"It wouldn't hurt to do that." Ui said, "Alright, I'll talk to onee-chan about it and you can talk to Ritsu-nee too, so don't worry okay?"

"Yeah…" I sighed, feeling myself tremble in the face of the cold.

"Is there something on your mind Satoshi-kun?" Ui then asked, "You sound a little worried all of the sudden."

"It's just that, things are happening so fast nowadays…" I explained with a sigh, "We're in a band now, and here comes our first live performance and all... maybe just not used to this yet."

"I kinda feel the same way..." Ui said, somehow feeling the way I felt too. "But if you think about the reason why you're doing something - I already told you this once - then you'll push through."

"Going through the old wisdom trove, huh." I laughed

"Seemed appropriate." Ui chuckled. Then all of the sudden, she started walking closer to me and took my hand saying, "And remember, Satoshi-kun, we'll always be together no matter what. Right?"

"Yeah." I replied with a smile, forgetting the cold winter air "That's all we need."

A slight flurry then ensued, making the cold crystals fall gently from the heavens. The two of us just kept walking, watching as the street lights turned on, one by one.

* * *

Climbing up the staircase in our house that evening, I walked down the second floor hallway but took a turn earlier than I usually did. Now, I was face to face with Ritsu's room, preparing to knock and call her out. From behind the door though, I heard the unmistakable sound of drumsticks striking against wood. Waiting a couple of seconds more, I went on ahead and knocked.

"Hey Ritsu. It's me, Satoshi. Can I go in?"

"Oh, hey Satoshi-kun. Go on ahead – door's unlocked." She said, ushering me in. Just as I thought, my big sister sat at her table with her drumsticks in hand and her assignment papers scattered about. Procrastinating again… hah, we really are siblings huh.

"Whatcha want to talk about little bro?" Ritsu said, setting aside her drumsticks and leaning on her table, "Life counseling? Cause if you play eroge, I won't mind too much."

"Hah, what do you think this is? A reverse-Oreimo setting?" I laughed as I sat with her at the table

"So what is it then?" She asked. Taking a deep breath, I then recounted to her everything that had happened today about the music festival and all.

"You guys want us to perform too?" Ritsu said amused

"Yeah." I said, "We were hoping to have the HTT as our feature guest band."

"Feature guest band huh…" Ritsu said rubbing her chin, her eyes sparkling in delight, "I like it, but let's see what everyone else thinks! I'll tell the girls about it right now!"

She fished her cellphone to sent a circular mail to her fellow bandmates. Before she could even start writing a message though, she received a text from Yui-nee.

"Seems Ui told Yui already." Ritsu laughed, "She's begging me to accept."

My sister smiled as she replied, telling the other girls about the event as well. All of them were interested.

"Alright then!" Ritsu said energetically, "HTT will be happy to perform at your festival!"

"Thanks onee-chan!" I cried, hugging my sister tightly

"Hehe, first time you called me onee-chan in a while." Ritsu laughed, "First time you hugged me too."

"Spur of the moment." I mumbled, letting go of her as she laughed.

"No problem Satoshi-kun." She said ruffling my hair, "Is there anything else you want to talk to before I kick you out of my room Kirino-style?"

"Hey…"

"Just kidding!" Ritsu said, sticking out her tongue

"Well, there is one thing, but it's not much of a big deal, I think" I said shrugging

"And that would be…?" She asked

"We were wondering of our band could practice with you guys in the music room at Sakura-gakou." I said casually, "We've only got two weeks to prepare and we're pretty much going to perform together, so we figured we might start doing weekday practices with your band."

"Oh, a joint-practice session!" Ritsu said interested, "Sure, go ahead! It's not much of a big deal after all."

Having finished our negotiation, the two of us sighed and I prepared to leave. Moments afterwards though, Ritsu's brow crumpled in thought.

"Wait a minute…" She said rubbing her chin, "By your band, you mean the band you and Ui made."

"Yeah."

"Including you and Suzuki-kun?" She said, emphasizing the two of us

"Uh-huh."

"You do remember that Sakura-gakou is an all-girl's school," Ritsu reminded, "an all-girl's school with a policy against boys entering campus when school is in session – including club activities?"

Oh crap… I totally forgot about that… Ritsu's cellphone then buzzed again as she received yet another text from Yui-nee, this time bearing melancholy rather than enthusiastic persuasion. This time, she was asking Ritsu what they should do about us guys entering the school.

"Argh… we'll have to find another practice spot for the weekdays then…" I groaned, "With the impending closure, the music room at Osaka West are off limits to extra-curricular stuff… Francis' orchestra discount doesn't apply on weekdays –and it'd be too far anyways…"

Racking my brains, I couldn't seem to find any viable alternative... Sakura-gakou was our best bet.

"Hmm… this is a tough situation." Ritsu grumbled, "But I'm sure I can find a workaround for this mess. I can get you guys through the school gates."

"You think so?"

"Of course! And you won't even have to cross-dress!" Ritsu said proudly, "If there's a will, there's a way! I wasn't elected President of the Light Music Club for nothing!"

Actually, she only became the President via de facto ruling… though she has proven to be a competent leader… every now and then.

"So Satoshi-kun," Ritsu said with a smile, "tell Suzuki-kun to come with you to Sakura-gakou tomorrow after school. We're going to get permission for you two one way or another!"

"Alright then." I said relieved, "We'll be counting on you then Ritsu!"

The girl gave me a curt salute and I stood up to leave the room. As I turned the knob though, I turned back to her and said,

"Oh, and thanks again onee-chan."

"You've really gotten sweeter, kid, you know that?" Ritsu said with a raised brow

"It's called love." I said before leaving her room and heading over to mine. Throwing myself into bed, I looked out the window and watched the flurry of snow outside, reaching out to the sky from where I lay. I just hope that love will be enough to bring us through the gates of Sakura-gakou tomorrow.

* * *

The next day...

"This is it, man..." Francis asked, turning to me as the approached the Sakura-gakou campus that afternoon after school.

"I know right?" I said gulping, "Shouldn't hesitate now though - let's move."

The two of us then started marching down the school courtyard's paved walkway, walking side by side and feeling like we were moving in slow motion. If there was a time in every person's life wherein the intro to Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" fits perfectly, this would have to be mine. I already saw the two of us, walking like astronauts towards the loading dock of our rocket to space, going through a sea of Sakura-gakou girls on their way out of school - all of them wondering why we were walking so damn slow. Dramatic emphasis, that's why! Sadly, none of the girls there saw it from our perspective and were only weirded out... sighing, we just quickened our pace and headed for our rendezvous point.

"Satoshi-kun!" Ui called out, seeing us from afar. Turning to where she was, I saw her and saw that she wasn't alone. Standing beside her was Jun, Yui-nee, Ritsu and the rest of the HTT.

"Hey Ui! Hey everyone!" I said as we joined them there

"Yo Suzuki-kun, little bro." Ritsu said, surprised that we arrived early, "You two ready for this?"

"Yeah." I said with a nod, "Let's do this."

"Hold on a sec." Yui-nee said, "We're still waiting for someone, Satoshi-kun."

"Waiting for someone?" I asked, "Aren't we all here Yui-nee?"

"Hey guys!" Another girl then called out, walking over to where we were, "Sorry I'm late - had a lot of things to sort out at the Council after all."

"No worries Nodoka-chan." Yui-nee said happily, "You're here now, so that's fine."

The girl then turned to me and Francis and said,

"You must be Tainaka-san and Suzuki-san's brothers." She said shaking our hands, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Nodoka Manabe, Vice President of the Sakura-gakou Student Council."

Vice President of the Student Council? My sister had connections to their Council's Vice President?

"Nodoka-chan here's the next in line for the Presidency." Yui-nee added, "Ain't that right Nodoka-chan?"

"H... hey." Nodoka said humbly, "We don't know if that's going to happen yet. Elections are next year after all."

Ergh... either way, seems the Sakura-gakou Light Music Club has a lot of political power at its disposal... no wonder why they manage to have tea parties so often...

"So anyways," The Vice President said getting back to business, "I'm aware of your dilemma Tainaka-san, Suzuki-san, but how do we plan to tackle that?"

"We're going to ask permission from Sawa-chan, that's how." Ritsu said excitedly, "If she agrees with our proposal, we won't have any problems right Nodoka?"

"Well..." Nodoka said as if she wanted to say something

"She's at the faculty room, right?" Ritsu asked, unintentionally cutting her off, "Let's get over there before she leaves!"

With that order, Francis and I continued our march into the school, this time accompanied by our band mates, the HTT and the Student Council Vice President. Ten people walking in formation... now it felt like a scene from Band of Brothers sorta... though I do hope no one goes out trying to kill us. If there were any, I'd rather have a Garand on me, or a Howa Type 89... In a battle for life and death, I'd pick anything over this pair of drumsticks; something that actually shoots bullets preferrably. Since our lives weren't in any immediate danger though, we carried on.

Just as Ritsu thought, Sawako Yamanaka, the Light Music Club's de facto instructor was in the faculty room. She had been preparing to leave, but after being offered some tea by Mugi-senpai, she suddenly decided she had time to stay a little while longer – she didn't mind the fact that Francis and I were even there either thanks to the tea. The power of coercion... seems Ritsu used that tactic a lot. Good for us, I guess. Now that she was obliged to hear our story, Ritsu then took the opportunity to make our little proposal. Since we wanted to practice together with the HTT for the next two weeks, we had to strike a deal granting me and Francis safe passage through the school grounds and permission to use the Music Room. Ritsu told her our story, speaking of revolution and our upcoming concert but the teacher wasn't as receptive as we thought she would be. Sadly, as in most border-related issues, there was red tape… a lot of red tape.

"Impossible." Said Sawako Yamanaka sternly, folding her arms and shaking her head.

"Yamanaka-sensei is right." Nodoka then said regretfully, "I tried to tell you guys about that a while ago but I didn't have the chance…"

"But Sawa-chan! Nodoka-chan…" Ritsu begged, "C'mon, can't you just let these two come over? They'll only be here for the next two weeks or so – they won't bother anyone after that."

"As much as I would like to help you, I can't really violate any school rules here boys and girls…" the teacher sighed, "The mere fact that these two boys are in the school, let alone the faculty room, is already a violation of that."

"It's not that they're not allowed here." Nodoka then explained, trying to mellow up her reasoning, "Sure, they can visit here during dismissal time. The problem is that they can't stay for extended periods of time. It's clearly stated on our student handbook."

"You boys could cross-dress and hope no one notices." Sawako joked, making me and Francis cringe, "Though I doubt lightning strikes the same place twice."

True, very true. There was no way in hell I was going to cross-dress again. I've been through hell and back in my sister's uniform – I ain't gonna do that again!

"So the answer is no, sadly." Nodoka sighed, "If I asked the council about this matter, they would say the same. A single vote can't grant you that privilege…"

"Unless it is overridden by special permission from the headmistress herself, that is." An elderly lady interrupted as she walked into the faculty room calmly, "Luckily for you lot, I'm a very lenient person."

"Headmistress!" Sawako and Nodoka said, rising up from their chairs in a hurry. The rest of us and the other teachers in the room acknowledged her presence too.

"I heard there was a commotion going on here so I had to investigate." The headmistress said, turning to me and Francis curiously. "Thank you for holding the fort Yamanaka-san."

"I did what I had to do." Sawako said, hiding her teacup behind a stack of paperwork

The headmistress saw this and started to laugh.

"Don't be shy Yamanaka-san, we all enjoy tea here in this school. I will not punish you for enjoying some, dearie."

Hearing this, Sawako sighed in relief and got back to sipping her tea. Seems this headmistress was liberal in governing this school, the polar opposite of our stuck up autocrat back in the West… We might just have a chance if we asked her! Maybe, just maybe. However, the headmistress beat us to the punch.

"I heard your little story from outside, so you can spare yourselves the lengthy explanation." She said in that same friendly tone, "You two are having a performance with our Light Music Club, am I correct?"

"Yes ma'am." Francis and I said

"Do you promise not to break any rules while on campus?" The headmistress asked. "Sakura-gakou is a school for refined young ladies after all. If I were to let you two boys into my school then you had best be respectable young gentlemen."

"We promise."

"Then I would be more than happy to let you two boys come on over after school." The headmistress then said with a smile, "Music is in the heart of Sakura-gakou after all – feel free to come and practice anytime you wish."

The rest of us looked at each other in disbelief. We did it!

"Not all schools share our stance… or should I say, privilege." The headmistress then said on a somber note, "I only recently heard about the budget cuts at Osaka West, and it pains me to tell you that the same story is being told all throughout Japan… all throughout the world."

"Music isn't always exactly a profitable investment." Sawako added, setting aside her now empty teacup "Bands go under quite often nowadays… it isn't exactly a pretty picture."

"Yamanaka-san is right." The headmistress said, "So that's why privileged schools like ours have to do our part too – we have to help each other out at times like these."

She then looked at me and Francis and asked,

"Does your music festival still have available timeslots?"

"We do, actually." Francis said, taking out his copy of the performance schedule, "We still have quite a few openings."

"Is that so? Then feel free to ask our music groups to participate too." The headmistress said raising a fist to the air "Your _revolution_ has Sakura-gakou's support, dear boys."

"Thank you ma'am!"

"So if you lot would please head on over to the music room now, that would be great." The headmistress said conclusively, "Your business here is finished and these teachers have work to do, as do you. I wish you well in your endeavors."

With that, the nine of us walked peacefully out of the faculty room along with Nodoka who was impressed that we were able to get the headmistress on our side.

"She sure does love music." Nodoka said pleasantly surprised, "I can see why she takes the effort to support the music groups we have here…"

"Yeah!" Yui-nee said cheerfully, "She's a really nice person ain't she?"

"She is, I'll give her that." Nodoka said, "Anyways, since I have to go back to the Council, I'll get them to organize the other music groups for you. That way, you guys can focus on practicing for your performance."

"Thanks Nodoka-chan!" Yui-nee squealed excitedly, "You've helped us so many times in the past already!"

"And I'll be ready to help out in the future too." Nodoka replied, "Just… no more cop-outs next time okay? You guys seem to like doing that."

Ritsu and Yui-nee then whistled, acting as if they didn't know what she was talking about. Nodoka just sighed.

"I'm looking forward to the concert, by the way." She said. She then went on her merry way.

"Alright then boys, let's head over to the music room!" Ritsu said as she shepherded us to their headquarters, "Since you will be practicing with us, we have to establish some ground rules. Remember that as President, I have the right to kick you two out anytime."

Why was she only threatening to kick me and Francis out? I demand a reconsideration!

"Hey." Ritsu shrugged, "Our room, our rules. You should know that by now Satoshi-kun – you've been in there one time too many."

"Don't rub it in man…" I groaned

"You two are here on special conditions too though." She added, "Being the President, I'm responsible for whatever you guys do. I don't want our headmistress to regret her decision."

That made sense. Francis and I then promised to obey the Light Music Club's sovereign leader… A drop of compliance for a torrent of revolution. Sounds good to me. Soon enough, we reached our destination and Ritsu opened the door for us.

"Alright then boys and girls, welcome to the Sakura-gakou Music Room."

Walking into the room for the second time in my life, a myriad of memories and emotion quickly overcame me. Being here again felt like déjà vu for a moment, but this time I wasn't wearing a wig and a skirt. Turning to me, Ui smiled and asked,

"Do you still remember the plan Satoshi-kun?"

"How could I forget?" I laughed, remembering how Ui went all-out Yui-mode and hugging her friend Azusa in the way Yui-nee would. I still remember it all too clearly… Neither of us had to embrace the petite guitarist this time around, though Francis would love to do it in our stead. I'd rather not have him go '_Azu-nyaaaan~_!' though. It was oddly cute when Ui did it… If Francis did that, it'll be just creepy. Ritsu will probably kick him out too... hopefully that sort of plan doesn't cross his mind.

Letting that thought go for now, the nine of us went to the center of the room. Yui-nee, Mugi-senpai, Mio-senpai and Azusa then went the dining table at the far end of the room, claiming their seats before anything else. This was the 'natural' scene of the Light Music Club, similar to the one I saw when I first came here; five girls minus Ritsu were getting ready for some tea. Though it was a tranquil scene and all, it made me, Ui, Jun and Francis realize yet another predicament.

"We don't have enough seats at the table, do we?" Jun said, stating the obvious

"We can sit at the sofa," I suggested, "though we'd be cramped with the four of us there…"

"Oh, no, it's alright." Ritsu reassured, "We've got a table and some folding chairs somewhere in the storage. Satoshi-kun, would you mind going there with me for a bit?"

"Sure thing."

My sister and I then carried a small table out from the storage room and set it beside the main dining table as an extension of sorts. It fit in quite well, in my opinion. Drawing up four more chairs, there was suddenly enough room to accommodate everyone. Being the newcomers and all, the four of us chose our chairs and sat down with the Sakura-gakou Light Music Club. Mugi-senpai then got up to serve everyone tea as she always did. A cup or two would be nice, but not eight… thinking about eight cups of tea brought back bad memories.

Now that we all had our tea and had more or less settled down, Ritsu stood up from her chair and said,

"So let's get down to business people. We have a concert in two weeks – we've got a lot of work to do. Before anything else though... it would be nice to know the name of the band we'll be working with."

Oh man... we still didn't have a band name. Ui however seemed to have an answer to my sister's question.

"Okaeri!..." Ui suggested, turning to us for our opinions, "What do you guys think of 'Okaeri!'?"

"Okaeri, huh..." I said rubbing my chin, "Welcome home..."

"For the next two weeks or so, this place will be our band's home, sorta." Ui said, explaining her rationale, "Thus, the band name."

"I like the name." I said with a determined nod, "Okaeri! it is then. From this day forth, we shall be known as 'Okaeri!'"

"Well then," Ritsu said happily, "let's get down to business shall we? The first meeting of Hokago Tea Time and Okaeri! is now in session!"

Just like that, our first joint-band meeting with the HTT began; the first of many more to come. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and the start of our new life in our second home... for the next two weeks at least. Whether we were just transient tenants there or permanent residents, Sakura-gakou's music room would be Okaeri's new home. Being welcomed by such a hospitable group as the Hokago Tea Time, it wasn't hard to think of it that way. 'Welcome home' indeed.

**To Be Continued**


	13. These Words About Love

**Author's Notes: **As you may have noticed in my profile page, I will be going on an exam Hiatus until around December 10th meaning all my projects will be on hold. Supposedly, Chapter 13 had to wait till then, but when inspiration hits, it won't let you sleep (or study) so I decided to finish it. Watch out though, since this is my longest chapter to date! Snacks and drinks are recommended!

Oh, and to Anonimasu - I've been calling the K-ON school Sakura-gakou for as long as I can remember and I will continue to do so and I didn't know about the male principal. Author's preference and mistake, respectively, but I'll keep it the way it is. Thanks for pointing that out!

So here it is, my dear readers; Chapter 13 of Full Court Press! Please feel free to post your comments since they can really make an author's day :D. Here you go!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 13**

Wednesday Afternoon in Osaka West Public High School, a week and a half before our musical insurrection. Ever since the Principal's announcement on Monday, people have been talking about the budget cuts. Fellow students would mumble on about the principal being an ass and the faculty, surprisingly, did the same... in a less blatant manner of course. The tone in their voices was a strange mixture from the spectrum of emotions; anxiety, anger, nervousness and an uncertainty that would make Heisenberg proud. As Francis and I walked through the halls that afternoon though, that wasn't the case.

Left and right, people were talking in a much brighter and optimistic tone. People even silently acknowledged us as we walked, knowing the part the two of us had in this thing, and we nodded back to them with confident smiles. Hundreds of those silent exchanges occured as we walk, and every single one of them sent us the same meaningul, meaningful message; "Kick that freakin Principal's ass!" Motivating words indeed. The fight in them was admirable, and the two of us knew exactly who to thank for this - senpai. Speak of the devil, here she is.

"Well hello there comrade Tainaka, comrade Suzuki." Senpai said with a happy salute, "Today is a good day, is it not?"

"Yeah, it's a really good day." I said with a nod, "The halls are talking of revolution, senpai - the media blitz we pulled off actually worked."

"Not only the hallways Tainaka-kun," senpai grinned as she held the local district newspaper, "The whole disctrict is in on it too! We're on the front page!"

"Oh wow," Francis said, noticing our Winter Music Festival being mentioned at the top right corner of the page, "It's a bigtime event now, huh."

"Yup." Senpai said happily, "Loads of people said they wanted to attend and quite a few local bands said they'd show up and peform too! We're looking at around a thousand people or more attending Saturday night, and that's on top of the Sakura-gakou and Osaka West crowd!"

"That's a lot of people!" I gasped, "How will we accomodate them all?"

"Simple." Senpai said, showing us three fingers, "We're going to have three stages for the night. I already talked with our student council and the faculty quorum (both of which are totally in on our plan) and they said we could use the Auditorium and the School Gym. We were even able to bypass the restriction (semi-legally) on the Music Room, so we're using that as our third stage. It's gonna be like freakin' Natsufest - but in the Winter!"

"Even the Music Room, huh. You're one hell of a planner, senpai..." I chuckled.

"Well, I had to do what needed to be done." Senpai said, "The whole point of this revolution is to save the Music Room, right? So we might as well use it as a performance venue."

"That makes sense." Francis said, "You could even have the HTT perform there as the finale."

"Good idea Suzuki-kun." Senpai said, fishing a notepad and pen, "I already drafted up the timetables at lunchtime, but I can still make some changes."

The girl twirled the pen, wrote down Francis' suggestion and reminded

"Speaking of changes, you guys are still a nameless band on the list."

"Ah, about that." I said, "Ui actually came up with a name for us yesterday. It's 'Okaeri!'."

"Okaeri…" senpai said, writing that down on her pad as well, "I like it. It's a good name."

"Ain't it?" I said with a smile

"Anyways, I'm gonna have to add that to the tables then." Senpai said, closing her pad and taking a breath, "I can grab you guys a copy in the Press Room if you want."

"Yeah sure, why not." Francis said, "I have to pick up my violin case there anyways - couldn't store it in the music room cause of that restriction."

"Alright then," senpai said, "follow me!"

Our enthusiastic upperclassman then led us to the headquarters of our militant school paper. Along the way, we happened to pass by the Principal who was doing his dismissal time rounds in the halls.

"Hehe, the Czar senses trouble." Senpai whispered to us with a smile as we walked on by. There was an uneven gait and a distressed look on his face. It looked like he was making a soliloquy as he paced around there… Hamlet much? Moving on…

We reached the Press Room and the three of us went inside. Francis picked up his violin case from our cubicle and senpai returned with a copy of an Excel spreadsheet printed on Fast Draft. It was the time table for Saturday Night. A few dozen bands and performers were listed on that sheet, along with their time slots and the stages they would be performing at. Like senpai said, the performances were divided between the Auditorium, the School Gym and the Music Room. At the top of the list was the joint-performance of the defunct Osaka West music clubs where Francis and I were helping out and at the bottom was Hokago Tea Time. A grand opening and a grand ending – it was going to be a night to remember.

"Since you guys might want a slot near HTT's," senpai said, "I put you guys in the slot before theirs. Pretty neat, huh?"

True enough, our band's timeslot was set just above theirs. Since we were practicing together anyways, this setup was pretty convenient. Okaeri! would warm the crowd up for the main event and we'd get a large crowd in exchange. Symbiosis at it's best. Now that that was done, everything seemed fine… until Francis had a good look at our timeslot.

"We've got fifteen minutes for our performance…" Francis said, doing some math, "Does this include set-up?"

"Yeah." Senpai nodded, "So basically, you'll have around ten minutes for an MC and two songs."

"Two songs…" Francis and I gasped in shock

"Eh?" Senpai asked, pondering our loss of breath, "What's wrong? Most of the bands requested that stage time, so I figured I'd give you guys the same. Everyone gets fifteen minutes except for the HTT – they get twenty-five. I thought two songs was a staple in gigs…"

"That's the problem senpai…" I cringed, "Our band only has a repertoire of one song."

"Oh…" senpai replied, her enthusiasm deflated by the predicament, "Well, if that's the case, I can give you guys a shorter showtime."

But if we did that then, we'd be a little shorthanded. I remember the time I performed with the HTT in the Cultural Festival with Ui. She apologized about only having Fuwa Fuwa Time ready for them and I've always wondered why. Now that we were going to have our first performance, I was starting to piece it together.

"That would work…." Francis said, "We only have one song so it's logical to have a slot for just one song. Another band might be able to use our spare time, you know."

Francis was right… if we spend a few minutes just standing there, we'd be taking time away from the other bands. However, as selfish as it may seem, I just can't get myself to accept that.

"We should talk about it with Ui and Jun first." I then said, "This is a band matter. We can't just make a decision by ourselves."

"True…" Francis said, rubbing his chin "We might as well talk to your sister about it too. They must have gone through something like this before."

"Yeah." I said with a weak sigh, "So I guess we should be heading off then. We need to iron this one out as soon as possible."

"Good luck then." Senpai said, bidding us farewell, "I'm sure you guys will come up with something."

"Hopefully." I said, trying to think as positively as I could. However, I knew the HTT never had such a problem. Mio-senpai has always been a proficient lyricist and the members are surprisingly talented, so even from the offset, they had a sizeable repertoire of good songs. They never had a shortage.

If push comes to shove, we will have to cut our timeslot… but for a debut performance, that doesn't sound too good. On top of that, I'd feel bad for Ui. She was the most passionate about performing next Saturday… how would she feel when we had to do with a smaller slot. On that somber note, Francis and I headed off to Sakura-gakou.

On the way to the school, Francis was silent as he held on to his violin case. Though he had suggested cutting the timeslot in the first place, I knew that possibility put a sour taste on his mouth. In his experience with the Osaka Philharmonic, I'm pretty sure neither he nor Mugi-senpai had to deal with a shortage of songs either. This must have been a new experience for him… I can't blame for feeling that way then.

Not wanting to dawdle on about that, I fished out my mp3 player and did an album shuffle, landing John Mayer's Continuum. As I listened, I couldn't help but wonder how artists like him would be able to have so many songs at the ready like this. Before the legislation in my mind could come up with an answer though, Francis and I were already face to face with the double doors of Sakura-gakou's music room.

"Time to face the music." Francis sighed, "Let's go buddy."

He opened the door and the two of us stepped into the room.

"Satoshi-kun! Suzuki-kun!" Ui said, a radiant smile on her beautiful face. As happy as I was to see her again, I couldn't muster up a smile and she knew something was going on. "What's the matter?"

"We just got the timetables for Saturday night." I said, showing her our copy, "Everything looked fine for a while, but apparently we have a problem."

"Problem…?" Ui said, a little shaken by my words, "What sort of problem?"

"Yeah, you can tell us, little bro!" Ritsu said with a grin, "We've had quite a few gigs in the past. I'm sure we'll be able to help out…"

"Tch… I wouldn't know about that. Okaeri! has a timeslot of fifteen minutes, minus the setup times and all…" I explained, "That means we have time for two songs… the problem is…"

"We only have one…" Ui finished, finally understanding the predicament

Ritsu, Jun and the girls of the HTT were shocked by this but couldn't say anything. A moment of strange silence passed before Ritsu asked the all-important question.

"So what do you guys plan to do about it?"

"We have the option to cut our timeslot to eight minutes." I said, drawing a broken line through our timeslot with a pencil, "Us performers only have so much stage time, so it would be a waste if we just stood there doing nothing for five whole minutes. Every minute counts after all… Instead, we could just give our extra seven to the band before us or to you guys."

"But this is our debut performance." Jun argued, "An eight-minute slot won't do us justice."

"That might be true Jun-chan…" Ui said weakly, "but standing idly on stage won't either…"

Francis kept his silence but nodded at Ui's reasoning. If we only had one song, it was the rational thing to do… it was the right thing to do. Seeing the sadness in Ui's eyes though, it was hard to make that decision.

"Why don't you do a cover then?" A figure then asked, followed by the sound of a teacup being set aside. To our surprise, Sawako Yamanaka, the instructor of the Light Music Club was already sitting at the table with a cup of tea. When the heck did she get there?

"A cover…?" Ui asked, unfamiliar with the term

"A cover song." Sawa-chan repeated, "Since you guys need an extra song for Saturday night, you could borrow and play another band's songs, thus doing a 'cover' so to speak."

"Ah…" Francis said, understanding her explanation. Come to think of it, in the Philharmonic, Francis and Mugi-senpai have never written full-fledged symphonies. It would have been awesome if they did, but that would be out of this world.

"Good call Sawa-chan!" Ritsu grinned, "So you guys don't have to cut your timeslot then!"

"I guess not." I sighed in relief, "We wouldn't want to have half a show for a debut now, wouldn't we Ui?"

"Yeah." Ui said, already recovered from earlier. She really wanted to maintain the timeslot, thank goodness.

"Now the question remains…" Ritsu said rubbing her chin, "What song are you guys gonna cover?"

"Ah!" Yui-nee said vigorously, "Ui-chan and Satoshi-kun already know Fuwa Fuwa Time, right? Then why don't you guys perform it again!"

"Eh… Yui…" Sawa-chan interrupted, "Won't it be strange if the band playing immediately before another one does a cover of the second band's song?"

"Will it?" Yui-nee asked in her usual clueless tone. The rest of us just sighed.

"As fun as it would be to play Fuwa Fuwa Time," I said, remembering that performance at the festival all too clearly, "HTT's songs are out of the question."

"So we're going to have to choose from another band…" Jun said rubbing her chin

"Or you could make up a simple accompaniment of a song Ui-chan knows." Mugi-senpai suggested, "Ui-chan is the vocalist right? It'll be a hassle if it's a song she doesn't know… and considering the time you guys have left..."

"Kotobuki-san is right." Francis agreed immediately, "We should let Ui decide then."

"Makes sense." I added. Turning to my Ui, I smiled and asked, "So what song would you like us to perform?"

"Oh my," Ui said blushing madly, "this is so sudden…"

"C'mon, don't be shy." I said supportively, "Any song you like – absolutely anything!"

"Okay then." Ui said taking a deep breath, "I say… 'Waiting on the World To Change', by John Mayer."

"John Mayer?" Sawa-chan asked, "You want to do an English song?"

"I've known the song since Continuum was released," Ui said with a shy smile, "and I figured it would fit the theme of the event."

"That song is perfect!" I said, turning to my band mates. Being half-Canadians, Francis and Jun were both familiar with the song and were quite eager to do a cover, "We'll cover 'Waiting on the World To Change' then!"

"That song is nice and all, but I do have one little nitpick about it." Sawa-chan warned, "That song is heavy on the piano. You'll need a dedicated pianist for that one if you pull it off – making an entirely new arrangement for your band mix would take quite a while."

"I can do it." Ui volunteered, "I can play the keyboard too."

"Then who's going to do the guitar?" Sawa-chan countered

"Oh…" Ui sighed

"If you guys want, I can do the piano part." Mugi-senpai then suggested, "I know the song quite well and I'd be happy to be a guest performer."

Hearing this made Ui smile.

"Thank you Mugi-senpai. We'll be happy to have you on board!"

"So that's over and done with." I said, taking a second look at the timetable sheet, "We've got our two songs now so it'll be smooth sailing from here."

"We still have to practice though." Jun said, "We may just be doing a cover, but we have to put effort into it too!"

"Of course." I said with a nod, "Why don't we practice it right now?"

"As in, right now?" Jun asked with surprise

"Yeah. We can make a stripped-down arrangement of it and build on it as we move along." I said, "Ui has the lyrics down and Mugi-senpai should be able to lead the way for us. I just need to lay down a simple beat, Ui can piece together a major-chord progression, you can improvise the bassline (since that's the bread and butter of jazz anyways) and Francis can just accompany the piano. It'll work!"

"Hmm…" Jun replied somewhat amused, "sounds like a plan."

Jun, Francis, Mugi-senpai, Ui and I then got up from our seats and went towards the nook where the instruments were. Ui's Squier Telecaster (also known as Tele), Jun's Yamaha SBV-500, Francis' Samuel Eastman Violin sat their in their cases waiting for their owners while the Yamaha drumset and the Korg keyboard stood out in the open. Setting up our respective instruments, we started discussing our arrangement. Playing bits and pieces here and there, we were able to piece something together, built around Mugi-senpai's piano and Ui's vocals. We then spent the rest of the day and the days after that improving the song. All the while, Sawa-chan, Ritsu and the rest seemed quite pleased. They thought we were ready to perform. With each passing day and each tiny yet significant addition or alteration, I shared their belief more and more.

Come our sound check on Saturday in the Osaka West Music Room, with only about an hour to go before the show, we had finalized the arrangement for the cover. Our final repertoire for the show was one original and one cover song.

"And that's a wrap." Senpai said with enthusiastic clapping, "You guys are awesome! The crowd will love you guys for sure!"

"Thanks senpai." I said, standing up from the drum set up for the Auditorium performances, "We'll give it our best tonight."

"Just remember," senpai said, "you also have that opening number at the Auditorium with the old clubs and the Drama club."

"We already had the sound check for that." Francis said, "Wasn't easy practicing for two different performances, but we managed somehow."

"Yeah." I said, wiping the sweat from my brow, "Luckily, Francis has a lot of backup in that song and I only have a single percussion piece assigned to me. Made it a lot easier for us."

"We'll be looking forward to it then." senpai said, speaking on behalf of the girls, "Anyways, Hokago Tea Time, it's your turn for sound check. Try to see how long it takes to set up so you can prepare for it in the actual show. Helps to know how much time you have, after all."

At senpai's cue, Okaeri! stepped down from the stage and the HTT went up. Pulling drawing up some seats, Ui, Jun, Francis and I sat down and watch our patron band perform. 'Amazing' was the only word to describe it. From Yui-nee's MC all the way to the extended unison ending of 'My Love is A Stapler' highlighted by the keyboard, it was nothing short of breathtaking.

"The HTT is such an amazing band…" Ui then said in an inspired tone, "I'm really happy to be able to perform alongside them."

"So am I, Ui." I said, taking Ui's tender hand and holding it gently, "So am I."

"That's all of the sound checks then." Senpai said clearing her list of bands, "I wish you well my friends. Raise the roof out there!"

She then turned to me and Francis and said "The general public will be allowed in fifteen minutes, so you guys had better get on over to the Auditorium. Two thousand five hundred people, my friends, two thousand five hundred!"

Imagining the sheer number of people attending, an excited grin broke on my face.

"We're gonna give them a night they won't forget!" I cried, raising a fist, "Ain't that right everyone?"

Eight fists shot up to the air as well, followed by a determined war cry.

"Yeah!"

We were ready.

* * *

At the front gates of Osaka West, Sawako Yamanaka, Nodoka Manabe, a cadre of Sakura-gakou teachers and the Sakura-gakou student council were lined up. In their midst was the elderly but energetic headmistress of Sakura-gakou who seemed quite excited to be there. Having been there early, they were at the front of the line and were the first to be let in once the doors opened for them.

"I wonder how they'll do…" Sawako muttered to herself as they found their way to the Auditorium, "The HTT has never had a performance of this scale… and this is only Okaeri's first…"

Seeing so many people lined up to see the event the two bands she had been supervising for quite some time now had gotten themselves into, she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Yamanaka-sensei?" Nodoka asked, turning to the teacher with concern, "You look unwell."

"N… nah." Sawako said shaking her head, "It's just that there's so many people – felt a little claustrophobic for a second."

"You know, if you're concerned about Yui, Ui and the rest, you can rest easy." Nodoka comforted, "I heard them practice once or twice already, and I think they're more than prepared for this. You should trust them more, sensei."

"I do trust them." Sawako said weakly as she and Sakura-gakou contingent took their seats, "But I also care about them. I just want them to be careful…"

Nodoka hummed, intending to ask her about that further but decided not to. She just sank into her seat and waited eagerly for the performance. Meanwhile, as the headmistress took her seat, she quickly recognized the person she would be sitting next to. It was the Principal of Osaka West.

"The Czar watches on as the revolutionaries assemble. You should recognize major 20th century history déjà vu when you see it, my friend." The headmistress said with a hint of familiarity in her voice, "You do understand what they want from you, right?"

"I know all too well what they want." The principal sighed, rubbing his forehead stressfully, "I don't think that it can be done."

"You really want to push through with those budget cuts, don't you?" The headmistress asked

"The music department is an unprofitable branch of this school." The principal said, "It impedes the progress of the school and taxes our budget too. A department-wide cut was the only logical solution to that."

"But your students are really passionate about saving your music room, and saving your music department." The headmistress replied, "That's why we have this event, after all."

The principal could only sigh. Just then, the Auditorium curtains were raised and the opening act was underway. The old Osaka West Light Music Club and the old Osaka West Brass and Woodwind Band, led by Satoshi Tainaka and Francis Suzuki played an instrumental of Coldplay's Viva La Vida. Accompanying them was a select troupe from Osaka West's Drama Club, reenacting key events of the French Revolution. The song had only just started and the crowd was already into it, filling the auditorium with supportive chants and applause. Ui, Yui, Jun, Mio, Ritsu, Tsumugi and Azusa were there as well, cheering for their friends on stage from the front row. The headmistress and Sawako saw them and smiled.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the protest against you." The headmistress said to the principal beside her, "Seems like it will be an enjoyable one."

* * *

Later, in the backstage of the music room, the HTT, Okaeri! and the other bands assigned to the venue were chilling out. Some bands were already finished and there was a band on stage in the middle of their first song. Since we still had time before our respective turns on stage, most of the people there took the time to unwind.

Yui-nee and Mio-senpai had gone out to the cafeteria where some food stalls had been set up and Ui, Jun and Azusa were chatting amongst themselves as they usually did during practices. Yui-nee already had my order and I didn't feel like disturbing Ui's girl talk for now… which brought me to the two part-foreigners in the corner of the room. They seemed to be playing a game of Hanafuda, a Japanese card game."

"Some people like to play poker to pass the time." Francis explained as he threw down a card to the table, "Kotobuki-san and I like to play Hanafuda."

"Suzuki-kun taught me the game on the plane to Montreal." Mugi-senpai agreed, "It's a really fun game once you get to understand it."

Francis then put his cards together and declared, "Ame-shiko!"

"Argh… three brights and the rain man…" Mugi-senpai said in a worried tone, "Koi-koi?"

"Of course!" Francis said with a grin. Despite the fact that the game was Japanese, I didn't know anything about it aside from what I saw in Summer Wars. That movie turned a simple card game into a battle of honor and glory. Seeing how into the game these two were, that interpretation didn't seem far off.

"So what are you supposed to do here?" I asked Francis as he arranged the cards in his hand

"You try to make combinations from the cards and get as many points as you can." Francis said, "Once you get a combo down, you can cash in your points or declare koi-koi to go for more points. Thing is, if your opponent gets a combination of her own, it cancels your combo and… you get the picture."

"What are you going for then?" I said, looking at Francis' cards

"Goko." Francis whispered, pointing to a distinct card in his hand, "The Rain Man and Four Brights – highest combination in the game. That'll sweep Kotobuki-san off her feet!"

"Sweep her off her feet…" I smirked, "Taken a liking to her now, have we?"

"What? Don't be stupid!" Francis whispered as Mugi-senpai made her move, "She's just a friend of mine – there's no way that'd ever happen!"

"Then why spend your time here?" I asked silently, "You could've gone with Mio-senpai and Yui-nee to the cafeteria. Missed opportunity, bud."

"Hey dude…" Francis said, "I'm too anxious to go courting at the moment…"

"Too anxious to chase skirts, you mean?" I joked

"Whatever man." Francis said, ignoring my poke, "I'm about to win here."

Mugi-senpai then threw down a card and drew one from the deck. Her eyes then sparkled with delight.

"Akatan!" Mugi-senpai declared, "Red Poetry Ribbons!"

"Sh… she got a combo?" Francis gasped

"Yeah!" Mugi-senpai said happily, "Sorry Suzuki-kun, I won't koi-koi. I'm already happy with this."

"Gah! My points!" Francis panicked as he dropped his cards, "I had a Goko coming up too…"

"Well, we don't always win France." I comforted, patting his shoulder, "I'll leave you two to settle your scores."

Standing up from where I sat, I left the weeping Francis and the laughing Mugi-senpai and went over to the backstage entrance where I had a good view of the performing band. Though I wanted to blow off some steam too, a certain anxiety wouldn't let me just stand still. Pulling up a chair, I took my place by the entrance.

"Can't wait either, huh?" A voice then said. Turning to where it came from, I saw my sister Ritsu seated there as well. Guess we really were siblings - our impulses under stress were similar.

"Yeah." I said, putting my seat beside hers, "Feeling kinda restless actually…"

"It's only natural, little bro." Ritsu said, leaning into her chair with a sigh, "That's what leaders feel when they're about to lead their group into battle. Group leaders bear a lot of responsibilities after all…"

"Our group doesn't have a leader." I countered, "We never thought about electing one."

"But if ever they did, I'm pretty sure it would be you." Ritsu said with a smile, "You brought this group together after all… you convinced Ui to get a guitar and to chase her dreams, drafted Jun who had been reluctant to join our light music club into your band and got Francis on board despite his hesitation. You even made organized an impromptu John Mayer cover a while back, drawing on the strengths of every member. If that doesn't make you the leader, I don't know what would."

"Is that so…"

"We're Tainakas too." Ritsu then said proudly, "Tainakas are natural born leaders!"

"Maybe you're right." I said with a sigh, "You brought the HTT together too after all and turned it into a district-wide sensation. I can see why you're the leader, onee-san."

"Glad we came to an understanding." Ritsu said ruffling my hair

"Thank you very much!" The vocalist of the band on stage said, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. They band of five then returned to the backstage and a solo guitarist came to replace them. The cycle of performances carried on like this for the next half hour and my sister and I just watched wings in appreciative silence. Before long, it was Okaeri's turn to go on stage.

"It's your turn Satoshi-kun." Ritsu said, "Break a leg."

Giving her a nod, I rejoined my band mates backstage and the four of us marched to the fray with our instruments. The members of the HTT joined Ritsu at the wings and saw our band off to the stage. This was it – our first live performance.

"Good evening everyone!" Ui greeted to start of her MC, "My name is Ui Hirasawa and I'm on vocals and guitar."

"I'm Jun Suziki." Jun said as she plugged her bass to the amp, "Bassist at your service!"

"Francis Suzuki." Francis said, stepping into the light with his violin, "I'm the violinist."

"And I would be Satoshi Tainaka." I called out from be hind he drum set, giving the bass drum pedal a few stomps, "Drummer."

"Together, we're Okaeri!" Ui said, finishing the introduction. "We only became a band recently and this is our first time performing live, so we hope you enjoy our show!"

Ui's lively opener roused a round of applause and cheer, making the pretty vocalist smile.

"So for our first song, we decided to do a cover of John Mayer's 'Waiting on the World To Change'." Ui continued, "Since the song has a lot of piano parts, we were helped out by the HTT's Tsumugi Kotobuki who will be performing with us tonight."

She then turned to the backstage entrance and called Mugi-senpai out, making the cheer and applause a few notches higher.

"Good evening, I'm Tsumugi Kotobuki from the HTT and as Ui-chan said, I will be performing with them in this song." Mugi-senpai said as she stood behind the keyboard already set up.

"Now that we're all here," Ui said, turning her attention back to he crowd, "Here's 'Waiting on the World to Change'!"

* * *

**Waiting on the World To Change**

**Musicians: Ui Hirasawa (Gt, Vo), Jun Suzuki (Ba), Satoshi Tainaka (Dr), Francis Suzuki (Vi), Tsumugi Kotobuki (Ky)**

Disclaimer: I do not own this song and neither does Okaeri! Credit goes to John Mayer.

* * *

_Me and all my friends,_

_We're all misunderstood_

_They say we stand for nothing_

_And there's no way we ever could_

…

_Now we see everything that's gone wrong_

_With the world and those who lead it_

_We just feel like we don't have the means_

_To rise above and beat it_

_So we keep waiting,_

_Waiting on the world to change_

_We keep on waiting_

_Waiting on the world to change._

…

_It's hard to beat the system,_

_When we're standing at a distance_

_So we keep waiting,_

_Waiting on the world to change_

…

Just as we did in our practices, the steady beat of the drum, the precise and lively piano chords and Ui's wonderful voice and gentle strumming carried the performance. Jun's improvisation on the bass was great too and Francis' violin accompaniment flowed along smoothly following Mugi-senpai's lead. Once the guitar solo came though, Ui stole the show with her guitar.

She had gone a long way from the simple chord progression we had drafted on the first day. Her fingers danced gracefully on Tele's strings as she picked note after note, trembling with the occasional vibrato. It was incredible… and judging by the way our audience clapped to the beat, they must have thought the same. Pleased by the audience's receptiveness, Ui stood before the microphone and continued the song,

…

_We're still waiting,_

_Waiting on the world to change_

_We keep on waiting,_

_Waiting on the world to change._

…

_One day our generation_

_Is gonna lead the population,_

_So we keep on waiting,_

_Waiting on the world to change!_

_Yeah, we keep on waiting,_

_Waiting on the world to change!_

* * *

The last cymbal hit rang through the auditorium, followed by the roaring cheer of the audience, most of which were students from Osaka West and Sakura-gakou. Whether it was because they were familiar with the song and they liked our rendition or if it was because of the revolutionary message, I couldn't tell. Taking a deep breath, my heart beat wildly as I took in the whole scene… the sounds of the audience, the sweat on our faces, the lights shining upon us. It was an incredible experience… but it wasn't over yet. Mugi-senpai bowed off, and we finally got to our original song.

Ui announced to the audience that this was a new song we were performing for the first time; a debut, so to speak. The announcement started some intrigued conversation throughout the room that died down as we prepared to play.

"This is Okaeri's first original song," Ui said as she fretted the first chord on Tele's strings, "'Oui! Ai Kotoba'!"

* * *

**Oui! Ai Kotoba/Yes! These Words of Love**

**Musicians: Ui Hirasawa (Gt, Vo), Jun Suzuki (Ba), Satoshi Tainaka (Dr), Francis Suzuki (Vi)**

Disclaimer: I do not own this song, but Okaeri! does. Also, this is not a direct translation of the original song – it is my own interpretation. Credit goes to the music director of K-ON and their composers.

* * *

_Oh, what a wonderful day!_

_I see you coming from afar._

_Joining you in the morning sun,_

_My heart is filled with delight_

…

_Un, deux, trois! Smiling now, I will say 'oui!'_

_I'll gather up the strength to share the words of my heart_

_At your side, everything's fine,_

_So now I'm not afraid to tell the world, and my precious you,_

_These words about love._

…

_Now, it's late afternoon,_

_I was writing down some chords and rhymes._

_Played my guitar and lost track of time,_

_But I guess that it was alright_

…

_Un, deux, trois! With energy, I will say 'oui!'_

_This song I have inside is from the words of my heart_

_It's a language we all can speak_

_With every ounce of strength I'll sing this song, from the bottom of my heart_

_This song about love._

…

_Then, the day turns to night,_

_The clam chowder turned out quite nice._

_I welcome you home with my brightest smile_

_And we share our simple meal._

…

_Un, deux, trois! Happily I will say 'oui!'_

_The secret to my cooking would be the words of my heart_

_Sprinkled with the spices of love,_

_In the meal of life it's all we need, to make the flavor bloom_

_These magical words._

…

Francis' violin and Jun's bass led the instrumental, taking over for Ui's vocals as she turned her attention to her guitar. From behind the drum set, I saw the side of my angel's face and the smile on her lips. Her happiness was unmistakable.

All the while, the audience was silent but appreciative. Heads bobbed in the sea of faces before us as the three hundred and fifty people or so listened to every bass note and every sound of the violin. There was no shouting or chanting like in our first song or when Ui and I performed Fuwa Fuwa Time, but the feeling was the same. With two stomps on the bass drum pedal, the instrumental ended and Ui looked up to the microphone once more.

…

_Tomorrows, what will they hold?_

_Which colors will the future mold?_

_I know it's just a hope, since I really don't yet know…_

_But I believe…_

…

_Un, deux, trois! _"_Always smiling, I will say 'oui!'_

_To everyone I meet, I'll share with them the, words of my heart."_

"_Tomorrow and the day after that,_

_And over and beyond I'll share my love, with this beautiful world;_

_These words about love_

* * *

With that, our first performance came to an end and the room was still silent in awe. At the back though, Manabe-senpai who was standing with the Sakura-gakou delegation broke the silence and started clapping her hands. Sawa-chan and the headmistress joined in as well, followed by senpai who was lurking around as well. The applause then spread throughout the room, starting slow but gaining strength and momentum.

"Everyone!" Ui said with tears forming her eyes, "Thank you!"

The girl then started sobbing on stage, teardrops falling on the microphone and on Tele. Tears of happiness, I thought. I stood up from the drum set and stood by her side to embrace her.

"Satoshi-kun," she said, unable to control her sobbing, "I'm so happy."

"Yeah." I said wiping her tears, "So am I."

The girl then calmed down soon enough and thanked the audience once more. Jun, Francis, Ui and I then returned to the backstage where the HTT lay in waiting. Ritsu and Yui-nee saw the tearful Ui in my arms and smiled. We then found ourselves in the epicenter of a group hug.

"You guys did well." Ritsu told us and our members, "You guys did really well."

She then gathered up her band mates and went on to the stage for their performance. The cheering of the crowd grew louder as Yui-nee began her MC. The final performance of the night was about to begin.

* * *

The concert ended a few minutes past midnight and the weekend flew by in the blink of an eye. Monday afternoon came quickly and Francis, senpai and I were seated in our usual spot in the back row of the Osaka West auditorium once more. It was time for the principal's bi-weekly speech at the assembly. As much as the students absolutely hated the assembly, this was one assembly we paid our full and undivided attention to. This was the moment of truth for our revolution - had we failed, or had we succeeded?

"This is it, boys." Senpai said as the principal walked to the podium, "Decision time."

In the wake of an event such as the Winter Music Festival, the board of directors compelled the principal to finalize his decision. He had been to a meeting with them earlier that day and was asked to announce the result to the students in this assembly. The general sentiment of the students and teachers were positive, believing that the Festival would have been more than enough to sway his decision. This, however, was not the case.

"I understand that a lot of effort has been put into organizing the Winter Music Festival and I understand that in exchange, the students and teachers of this school desire to maintain the Music Department." The principal said in a serious tone, "However, despite all of that effort, this was an impossible exchange. It cannot be done – the budget cuts must push through."

The auditorium then exploded with rampant booing from both the students and the teachers but the principal shouted at them to hear him out.

"It's not like I wanted to make the budget cuts! It's not like I have a grudge against music!" The principal cried angrily, "You have to understand that the world we live in is governed by money, and frankly, this school does not have a lot anymore.

The world wide recession has hit the education systems throughout the world, Japan included. Budget cuts like these are necessary to continue providing education at all. If we don't cut the budget of the Music Department, then the funds to balance the budget would have to come from somewhere else! You can't just magically defy that glaring reality. If I don't take away the budget for the music room, then the banks will do it for us."

At this point, the anger and fury of the students and teachers had turned into melancholy and gloom. Putting together such an event and getting shot down like this was really hard to take… however, the principal hadn't told the whole story yet.

"As I have said earlier, the budget cuts will continue." The principal said, "However, the Music Department will not be dissolved. The Music Room will not be torn down. Instead, I decided to save what I could and sell the two to a generous patron who was more than willing to maintain them in our stead."

"Sold?" Senpai asked, confused by what the principal meant, "Patron?"

"That patron is Sakura-gakou." The principal said, "From hereon end, the Music Department will be in the hands of Sakura-gakou."

No way… I can't believe what I just heard. So when the headmistress of Sakura-gakou said our revolution had her support, this is what she meant.

"As an apology," the principal then said, "the music organizations that have been shut down in the past three years would be reinstated under the Sakura-gakou charter. In that setup, Osaka West's Light Music Club would have connections to their counterpart in Sakura-gakou and can share members and use their facilities as they please. The same is true for all the other clubs as well."

"So let me apologize once more." The principal continued, "Everything I have done in recent years was driven by forces I could not control. This time though, for your sake, I decided to 'man up' as the sophomore Natsuki Shinohara repeatedly says in her school paper columns."

"And thanks for actually reading." Senpai chuckled silently

"Keeping that in mind, I would like to end this assembly with a simple announcement." The principal said, "The music does live on."

* * *

"So," I said as I took a sip of tea in the headquarters of the Sakura-gakou Light Music Club, "I guess we just got an extension to our gate pass – a permanent one."

"Yup." Ritsu said with a smile, "That means you'll get to see your beautiful sister everyday after school."

"Heh, yeah right." I laughed, setting aside my teacup and leaning back into my chair

"The Osaka West Light Music Club was reestablished, right?" Ui then asked, "Did you and Suzuki-kun join?"

"As much as we would have wanted to, we declined the offer." I said, "My calling is in writing and the Press Club already offers me a chance to pursue that dream. My buddy and I will still be there for Okaeri! though. After all, band activities are over and beyond the school clubs."

"Don't forget that we became honorary members of the West Light Music Club anyways." Francis added, "That's why we can go here in the first place."

"Just be sure not to take advantage of this privilege Suzuki-kun." Sawa-chan then warned, "Hurt any of these young girl's hearts and you'll wake up with a black eye and a maid outfit."

Deterrence by cross-dress. Seeing Francis pale up all of the sudden, it was more effective tactic than I thought.

"So where do you guys plan to go from here?" I asked my sister.

The girl then looked out to the snow flurry outside and said, "Natsufest. We're going for Natsufest."

**To Be Continued**


	14. Birthday Wishes

**Author's Notes:** My dear readers, it is my absolute pleasure to inform you that my exams are finally over! Results aren't out yet, but I'm fairly optimistic! This means I'll be getting back to writing for you guys! I was saving this chapter for December 14 - i have my reasons - but it's done now, so yeah.

This chapter is a long one again and it seems that this pattern in chapter length with continue for a while. With great love comes a massive word count, haha. Thank you for staying with me all this time and I truly, sincerely hope you guys like the story so far. So here it is, Chapter 14! It's good to be back guys, it's good to be back!

* * *

**Full Court Press**

**Chapter 14**

There was absolute silence about the campus of Osaka West that mid-December afternoon. The thousand strong student body was gathered in the large Auditorium where numerous desks and chairs had been placed. Weeks ago, this place was filled with musical protest and revolutionary cheers as bands from every corner of the district came to perform to save our beloved Music Room from unjust and undue liquidation. This was also the place where the Principal announced the incredible M&A deal he had struck with Sakura-gakou, rousing victorious cheers from the student body. What had been a battlefield of music and vociferous inter-school politics was now a battlefield for another war – the unavoidable academic war. Its name was the Osaka West Fall Term Finals Exam.

Despite all of the action and drama that had taken place, at the end of the day (or term), students still had to face the infamous Finals exam. Today was the last day of the stretch of exams so adrenaline was high and eyes drooped low, a result of the innumerable all-nighters and countless liters of coffee taken in the nights past. Gathered there in that large auditorium were the thousand or so students of the West - fine young men and women, each and every one of them. Before them were the questionnaire sets of fate, the last things that stood before them and the beloved Winter break – those and the three minutes that remained on the clock.

I sat there in the middle of the fray with my push-action Enfield (a mechanical pencil with nine and a half rounds of lead), the exam sheets and scratch papers that were mostly filled with equations, doodles and leftist rhetoric. I had even written down parts of this new song I was working on, next to a smiling chibi Ui. Man, she's pretty even in chibi form. I could only smile. Tearing my attention away from the divine doodle (a tough ordeal, trust me), I picked up my completed exam sheet and went through it one more time.

Just looking at that sheet, I knew I wasn't going to ace it. Some of those questions were pretty damn sketchy after all. However, worrying about that was useless to me now. As Ritsu and I would often say, worrying about grades just causes unneeded stress. A mysterious yet wise person whose name (and evidence of existence, for that matter) escapes me once said, 'Grades do not define a man'. Since my sister and I were just slightly above-average students (unlike Francis or Mio-senpai who were top line honor students), we believed in that doctrine wholeheartedly. Whether or that was an excuse for our chronic procrastination is an issue we'd rather not talk about.

Bored by the exam sheets that looked oddly like a vague Guitar Hero solo when I was done with it, I turned it over and leaned on my desk to watch the wall clock that had been set up. I listening to its ticking, counting every single one as a step bringing us closer to freedom. I saw Francis seated down the hall of tables doing the same thing - he too was done with his exam. Senpai also seemed fairly confident, twirling her pencil leisurely to pass the time. Judging by their cocky smiles, they must have thought the exam was chicken feed. Doesn't matter to me now. As the clock wound down, that mattered to me less and less. When an exam ends, we were all still students.

The second hand then made its final trip around the machine before this battle was over. By this time, almost every student had their eyes on that clock. Grasping my Enfield, I glared at the damn thing wishing it would go just a little bit faster. For a moment, it seemed to melt and the peg it hung from looked like a tree branch… Salvador Dali much? Shaking my head, I realized it was just my epic lack of sleep catching up to me. Then the exam ended.

"Time is up! Please stay in your seat as the teachers collect your exams!"

A squad of teachers then made their swiftly went through the desks, taking the papers as quickly as they could. Just like us students, they too couldn't wait for the exam to finish. I guess that 24-piece Sapporo fridge pack my class adviser had this morning was waiting for them in the staff refrigerator - there was going to be a party after this. Once the last of the papers were taken, the announcement we had all been waiting for finally echoed through the hallowed room.

"The exams are over. We hope you enjoy Winter Break!"

With that, the room practically exploded with cheers and felicitation. Pocketing my trusty mechanical pencil and the lyrics with the chibi Ui, I walked on over to where Francis was.

"We are free men once more, my friend." I said, shaking his hand the way Che Guevara would do with his fellow revolutionaries, "Ain't that nice?"

"Yes. Freedom is sweet." Francis agreed, stretching away the pain caused by sitting in a chair for two and a half hours. "That means we're two-thirds done with our freshman year. One more term and we're gonna be sophs."

"Hold your horses, boys." Senpai then said in a bit of a sad tone as she joined the two of us there as well, "One more term and I'm gonna be a senior. That means I'll only have a year and a third left to wreak havoc through the Press."

"I think we've wreaked quite a lot of havoc already with the Winter Music Festival and all." I reminded, "I'm sure that's a pretty big thing to put on an autobiography. People will be talking about it for a while too."

"That may be true... but I, Natsuki Shinohara, refuse to rest my laurels just yet… and neither should you boys." Senpai said, "Making your mark in this world takes constant effort after all and so does revolution! This revolution has only begun, my friends. Don't believe those one-time, big-time crap you see in the media – they're lies I tell you! Conformist lies!"

"Oh don't worry senpai, we know that stuff is crap." Francis said laughing, "Satoshi and I will still work our asses off in the Press Room even after you're gone. You're leaving the Press Club in good hands."

"I already know that you guys will take care of it. What else can I expect from my two most dedicated columnists?" Senpai smiled, "However, the Press Club wasn't the only thing I was talking about. I was talking about Okaeri! too. You and those girls started something really nice, I tell you. It would be a shame if it was just a one-time act."

"We'll continue that too." I said with a nod, "My sister Ritsu is eyeing Natsufest, then ultimately Budokan… so I guess you could say we're aiming for the same thing. We're far from done here! As long as Ui and I are in the band, we're gonna keep on going."

"Good to hear Tainaka-san, good to hear." Senpai said in a pleased tone, "Hirasawa-san really means a lot to you huh? She'd have to be if she was one of your decision variables."

Decision variables? What was this, Introductory Management Sciences? Isn't that a college Commerce course?

"Well, I can't say I'm a bandsman… not as much as my sister at least," I said scratching my head, "I formed that band for Ui since performing was a dream of hers for a long time now. Jun, Francis and I are just here to make sure that that dream true and we reach as high as we can."

"But you yourself do like performing, right?" Senpai asked

"I guess so, yeah." I said in a dreamy tone, "As long as I'm at her side."

"Sheesh man, I'm gonna need insulin after talking to you like this." Senpai laughed, "But Natsufest, huh…"

"What about it, senpai?" I asked

"Well, Natsufest is one of the biggest musical events in Japan. Our little festival is small fry compared to that event." Senpai said, "The biggest bands in the country and even some top line foreign bands perform there. Performances are by invitation only too, so it's going to be quite hard to even get in…"

"Even so…" I said in a determined tone, "We'll just have to see what the future has in store for us and the HTT."

"Seeing all the effort the HTT has put recently, I'm sure they'll find a way in." Senpai said, "You guys might just have a chance too."

"Hopefully." Francis and I replied

"Anyways, I guess I'll be seeing you boys around." Senpai said, preparing to leave, "Till next term!"

"Wait a second senpai," I halted, "erm, well, next Tuesday is…"

"Oh right, the 14th." Senpai cringed in realization, "That's your birthday, right Satoshi-kun?"

"Yeah. I'm having a party at my house." I explained, "Ritsu and I were wondering if you wanted to come over."

"Ah…" senpai sighed, bowing repeatedly in apology "I'm truly, truly sorry Satoshi-kun but I won't be able to make it."

"Well, that's alright." I said, "But out of curiosity, what are you doing this Winter break?"

"I got a part-time job at the local newspaper. Our work on the Festival caught their attention and their editor-in-chief asked me to do some freelancing for them for the holidays. I could ask for a day off, but getting that request from a newly hired employee doesn't sound very good." Senpai explained, "That's why I can't go on the fourteenth. It hurts me to do this to a comrade, an excellent comrade I might add, at his time of the year, so I hope you understand."

"It's fine, it's fine." I laughed heartily, "That's a pretty good opportunity you've got there. I wouldn't want you to waste it just for my birthday."

"I'll make it up for you sometime, comrade." Senpai bowed, "I promise."

She then checked her watch and sighed.

"Duty calls, boys." She said bidding us farewell, "First day on the job."

"Good luck senpai!" Francis and I said as she walked away

"And advanced happy 16th birthday Satoshi-kun!" Senpai called. I gave her an appreciative thumbs up and she replied a peace sign before disappearing behind the auditorium doors. Collecting our things, Francis and I prepared to leave as well.

We walked through the hallway to the main school entrance and found the whole town covered in a light blanket of snow. There was a light flurry falling from the sky too. It was a refreshing sight to see after racking my brains for two hours straight and Francis seemed to agree.

"Winter is great, isn't it?" He asked as we stepped out into the snowy scene

"I prefer summer," I said honestly, walking with him to our usual path home "but I guess Winter is nice in its own way too. It's like we're in a giant fridge."

"Well, you should see the winters in Canada, my friend." Francis advertised, "To truly appreciate winter, you have to experience the full force of it! Rather than a standard-issue fridge, it'll be like an industrial-strength freezer! Snow banks as far as the eye can see, people skating in the frozen lakes… oh, and the walk to school gets interesting too."

"Interesting?" I asked, wondering what made the Canadian winter walks so interesting. It shouldn't be too different from here, I figured.

"The sidewalks are frozen over." Francis then said, pointing to the sidewalk for emphasis

"Er… What?"

"You heard me." Francis grinned, "It turns the routine carefree stroll into a constant struggle to stay on your feet! One bad step and you'll be on your ass in no time!"

"Doesn't sound like a lot of fun…" I said. Having stayed in Japan my whole life, imagining something like that was strange, not to mention scary.

"It can be fun." Francis laughed. He then proceeded to explain himself, drawing from his bag of his countless Canadian anecdotes. His theme today was 'Frozen sidewalks are fun, eh?'. Appropriate. The first anecdote was about this one time when he still lived in Halifax where he and Jun were walking to school. Since they had snow boots, they didn't slip as easily as they would have without them. The only problem was that the siblings were pelting snowballs at each other, trying to knock each other down for a good laugh…. Crazy Canadians…

The second one was set in the time when he was with the Philharmonic in Montreal. The snowfall had been heavy (though it shouldn't be so surprising since it was freakin' Montreal) so the snow-clearing on the roads took longer than expected. He and Mugi-senpai were walking together to the practice session when Mugi-senpai realized she was sliding through the sidewalk – like a trained Curling attendant in a dress and coat, Francis would add. She would say stuff like '_This is the first time I've skated through a sidewalk before!_' and wasn't worried at all; a typical scene from our blonde mostly-foreigner upperclassman.

"However," Francis then said, switching to a dramatic-slash-heroic tone, "the sidewalk was about to come to an end and she was heading straight into one of the main roads that had already been cleared!"

"What happened then?" I asked, a little worried by where this story was going.

"I grabbed her hand to keep her from going over!" Francis said proudly. "I succeeded in keeping her off the road, but the next moment, we found ourselves buried face first in a snow bank, laughing our asses off like idiots. Crazy, eh?"

"Hmm, did she say something like this?" I asked, imitating Mugi-senpai's voice, "_Oh my! This is the first time I fell into a snow bank… with a boy!_"

"She did, I think, if I remember correctly." Francis said rubbing his chin, "Maybe I had a concussion…"

Dude, you shouldn't take a possible concussion so lightly...

"Well, whatever she said, it probably wasn't anything too important. Just the standard-issue remark of hers." Francis said, "So, whatcha think of those? Winter is fun, eh?"

"I think I know now why you like winter so much." I teased, "Falling into a snow bank with a boy, ha! Are you sure you two haven't fallen into something else?"

"Something else…" Francis said, trying to understand what I meant. Then, to my amusement, my friend grew redder than usual and started talking defensively, "Hell no man!"

"Hmm…" I said, capitalizing on his temporal vulnerability, "But I'm guessing, even after you two fell, you two were still holding on to each other."

A cloud of steam them puffed up from Francis' ears and his face was as red as a beet. The way he stammered now made it obvious; my guess was spot on.

"Argh, Satoshi!" Francis cried, trying to override the awkwardness he was feeling, "Dude, we aren't like that! We're friends. We're comrades. We're contemporaries! That's all there is to it!"

"Hey, hey. There's no need to get all worked up about it." I laughed, "I was just playing around with you, you know."

The half-Canadian then sighed.

"You know me well enough, man." Francis said, "I know I've been telling you about wanting to date an HTT girl, but even if Kotobuki-san was a member, I just can't look at her in that light."

"I get it, I get it." I shrugged in surrender, "Mio-senpai is more of your type, right?"

The melodramatic look on his face then crumbled to one of bravado and pride.

"Yeah, that's right." He said with a grin, "She's the hottest girl in Sakura-gakou. Now that we're honorary members of the Light Music Club, I might actually have a chance to ask her out."

Mio-senpai really was his target all along huh… I won't disagree with him in saying that she was the ultimate hottie in Sakura-gakou, not to mention the entire district, but I still remember that moment in the Sakura-gakou hallways all too well.

"Of course, she's not the only one I'm looking at." Francis said, "The other girls are fine in their own right. Yui-senpai is cute and cheerful. Azu-nyan is pretty and talented…"

Azu-nyan? When the hell did he start calling her Azu-nyan? Francis was just about to say something about Ritsu too, but he knew all too well that that ticked me off.

"Do whatever you want to do." I said, "If you want to go for one of them, then go do it!"

Then there was silence. I was expecting something on the lines of '_Hell yeah man! They're going to love me!_' or something like that, but nothing of that nature came about. Francis just walked on in silence as if in deep thought.

"Erm, France?"

"Oh, sorry, I kinda dozed off for a while there." Francis said with a dry laugh, "Post-exam trauma, I guess."

"Or repercussion of all that sleep you lost on coffee." I joked. We then reached the fork in the road where our paths split. "So I'll be seeing you Tuesday then."

"Yeah." Francis said, waving goodbye, "I'm looking forward to it actually!"

I had a good guess as to why he'd be so. Putting my hands in my pockets, I trod on through the snowy path and watching my step. Francis' anecdotes stayed in my mind, I guess… and so did my curiosity as to what really went on between those two part-foreigners. Taking an extra long yawn, I decided to leave that for later. I had some sleep to catch up on too, after all. I'll ask him about it at the party… I'll ask him or Mugi-senpai. I'll find out one way or another.

* * *

It was the morning of December 14 in the Tainaka household. For the first time in days, the sun was shining again through the wintry clouds and it was glorious to say the least… well… not as glorious as the sight I beheld in my waking moments. I had just been waking up from a pleasantly strange yet awesome dream involving slaying a mecha-dragon with scotch tape, a Spartan shield, German stick grenades and a gunblade when I realized I was in the presence of a brown-haired, chestnut-eyed angel with a ponytail. You got to love the ponytail – now I know how Kyon feels about Haruhi. Thank goodness she wasn't a tsundere. She was sitting at my bedside and watching me with those kind eyes, her sides outlined by the mild sunlight.

"Am I dead?" I asked, stroking the angel's face gently, "Have I died and gone to heaven?"

"You're still alive Satoshi-kun." The angel giggled, holding my hand and rubbing it fondly, "You're still in your house and it's your birthday."

"Are you my present from God then?" I joked in a half-sleepy voice, "If so, then God is an awesome gift giver… He knows exactly what I like."

"Aww, quit kidding around birthday boy." Ui smiled, blushing a little bit at my corny remark "Get up and get changed. We're having brunch with your family today."

"Right." I said, patting my face to fight off the grogginess that compelled me to continue my dream and add a scene where I save the Princess Ui and escape on a tricycle to the moon. It would have been awesome, but I'll save that for another time. The girl then stood up, giving me a clear view of what she was wearing. She wore one of her finer sets of clothes today, a turtleneck that highlighted her wonderful figure... and was that an apron? Oh right, she and Yui-nee were going to help make the food for today too - the brunch for us and dinner for later tonight.

"Mhm. This is our birthday gift to you, you see." She hummed happily, "Onee-chan's downstairs helping auntie."

"Ritsu-nee and uncle are at the dining table already having brunch." Ui added, "Oh, and Ritsu-nee asked me to tell you something when you woke up."

"Yeah, what is it?" I asked

The girl cleared her voice then imitated Ritsu's voice,

"_Got the extra rice this time, buddy! Haha~!_"

Whoa! That was a crazy accurate imitation!

"Oh Ritsu..." I laughed, "Don't worry about that, Ui. The extra rice record this month is still Satoshi 8, Ritsu 6. It'll be a while before she surpasses me."

"Is that so?" Ui said in an interested tone. She then got up and left the room saying, "So anyways, come down when you're done okay?"

"Yes dear." I said with a smile, making the girl smile back. I got on my feet and started changing into some normal clothes, choosing some of my better ones for the sake of the occasion. Once that was over and done with, I rushed over downstairs to see what my angel and everyone else was doing.

The first thing I saw as I got to the second floor however almost made my heart stop; it was Yui-nee at our kitchen counter with a sizeable knife in her hand… To top it off, the girl was chopping onions. Déjà vu, I say! Déjà vu! Somehow, I felt as if my id and superego were scrambling to call Freud. The only thing that diffused my imminent panic attack was the usual innocent smile on her face. There was no murderous intent today... though there never was any at all. Unless of course that Yui-nee's logic suggests that chopping onions was a rough equivalent of bloody murder... I'd rather not think about it right now.

"Good morning Satoshi-kun!" Yui-nee greeted happily, "I know how to chop onions better now, washaa~!"

She then gave another onion a scarily precise chop, making a nice crunchy sound and an audible thud against the chopping board.

"Good morning to you too Yui-nee." I greeted, keeping my eyes away from the knife she held. Seeing her hold it like that brought back bad memories.

"I still can't believe the two of you tried chopping onions without at least washing them in cold water first." Mom then said, putting her hands on her hips, "See? We've chopped a lot of onions now too but our eyes aren't hurting so much."

"It was a long story." I said, still remembering the epic onion chopping contest we had in our dispute over Ui. "Ain't that right Yui-nee?"

"Yup Satoshi-kun!" Yui-nee laughed.

"We'll be done with brunch in a minute Satoshi-kun." Ui then said, rejoining the two at the counter, "You can have a seat at the dining table if you want."

Following her request, I took a seat at the dining table where my father and dearest sister were already seated. Ritsu turned to me with a grin as if wanting to brag about something, but I beat her to the punch.

"Ui already told me about the rice." I said with a raised brow, "I'm still up two cups sis."

"Well, I just wanted to make sure you knew." Ritsu said, hiding her amazement at my preemptive strike. "Tomorrow is another day. I might just close the distance by Thursday."

"Keep dreaming." I challenged.

"Unless of course, I get the extra rice for the next two weeks straight." Dad said, adding a third front to the challenge. The three of us then laughed. The extra-rice contest had always lived up the day, so much so that Ui told me she wanted to adopt a similar policy when their parents come home. The Tainaka Assembly then gave the proposed amendments to the Hirasawa constitution their support. As we talked about charter change, the Hirasawas then came to the table to distribute the rice cups.

"Here you go Ritsu-nee." Ui said, setting the double-sized cup before the triumphant Ritsu, "Enjoy!"

"Thank you Ui!" Ritsu said, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

Yui-nee then served the two normal cups to me and my dad, consoling the two of us. She says she understands how they feel since she almost always has seconds. Though the reference was quite off, we, the defeated, appreciated her effort to cheer us up. Then, I noticed that all the cups of rice had been sprinkled with black sesame seeds.

"Ui told me it was checkerboard Tuesday." Yui-nee winked, "She said you liked sesame or nori on the rice on Tuesdays, so we did the same for everybody!"

"How thoughtful of you Ui, Yui-nee." I said, thanking the two girls, "Thanks guys."

The Hirasawas then left and returned to the kitchen counter where mom was to finish up brunch.

"Yui-nee… Ritsu-nee." Dad then said, looking at me and Ritsu with playfully inquisitive eyes, "I don't remember having a son and three daughters. Did we have an adoption I didn't know about?"

Ritsu and I just looked at each other and smiled. The circumstance was more of a reparation than an adoption, but the technicalities weren't important. Ever since that time, the Hirasawa family and the Tainaka family have grown closer. I felt like we were becoming one big family.

Not too long afterwards, Ui, Yui-nee and Mom then joined us at the table with the food they had prepared for brunch. As Ui had told me earlier, this was the present of Yui-nee and Ui to me and my family. It was an utterly delicious present – one we wouldn't mind having every morning. As we ate, my family talked with the Hirasawa girls amiably, praising them and thanking them for their assistance today. Since today was my big day, I also was one of the main conversational topics at the table. The two listened eagerly, not wanting to miss a single detail as Ritsu and my parents told them stories about me from my childhood. I felt like I wanted to shrink away, but they were going to have to find out about this stuff sooner or later. It was better to get this over with now.

"Satoshi-kun used to stammer a lot when he was younger." Dad said, "Whenever he talked to me he'd go 'd…d…dada!'"

"He also liked hugging everyone." Mom added, "He'd run around and grab on to my leg or his dad's leg and just wouldn't let to. He'd hug Ritsu a lot too."

"Then Satoshi here always hung out with me." Ritsu said, "When I first went to kindergarten, I heard he cried when he thought I had run away from home. '_O… onee-chan! W… where'd you go? I missed you!'_"

"Oh my!" Yui-nee squealed, "You were so cute back then Satoshi-kun!"

"Yeah, what happened bro?" Ritsu laughed. I smacked her lightly in retaliation.

"I think Satoshi-kun is still the same now as he was." Ui then said, "I'm not so sure about the stammering, but he's still nice and sweet."

"He likes to hug you in the morning, that's for sure." Ritsu joked, making me and Ui blush. What? I freakin' like hugging people! Something wrong with that?

"Oh, you're like me then! I like hugging Ui too." Yui-nee said happily, "And Azu-nyan! She's nice to hug too!"

Ui then deflated a little bit. Guess she remembered that time she had to go all out Yui-mode in the Cultural Festival. That sight was oddly arousing… but moving on. We finished brunch soon enough and dad then went off to work.

"He'll be back later this afternoon." Mom said as she saw him off, "Will your guests be arriving soon?"

"Yeah." I said, checking my cellphone, "It's already past twelve, so Francis and Jun will be here in a jiffy. They usually come to parties early."

Talk about timing. The doorbell then rang.

"Must be them." I said, getting the door, expecting to see the two part-foreigners. Opening the door, I saw that I was right about the type of nationality the ringer had. The number I expected however was off by one and the nationality ratio was totally wrong. There was only one part-foreigner standing there at our doorstep, and she was 0% Canadian.

"Good afternoon Satoshi-kun," she said in her usual refined voice, "I hope I'm not too early."

"Afternoon, Mugi-senpai!" I said as I let her in, "You're earlier and France and Jun, that's for sure, but Ui and Yui-nee are already here. We had brunch together."

"Ah, I see." Mugi-senpai said amused

"Coat?" I asked, reaching out to take her coat for her.

"Why thank you." She said, giving me the coat to hang. She then reached into her hand and produced an intricately wrapped gift box, "And Happy 16th birthday!"

"Whoa, thanks!" I said, taking the package from her carefully. I wonder what was inside?

"It's a deluxe tea set with tea from around the world!" Mugi-senpai said in an excited tone before I could say anything, "It also comes with select coffee blends. I recommend the Barako from The Philippines… oh and the Tim Horton's classic blend from Canada. It's Francis' favorite!"

"Hmm… I just might do that." I said, already wondering what flavors sat within these bags and sachets. Mugi-senpai's pitch piqued my interest, but so did the way she ended it. Did she just call him 'Francis'?

"Well, since we are going to be seeing each other more often, I figured it would be alright to be more casual." Mugi-senpai reasoned, "And besides, we're good friends anyways."

Good friends huh… She answered the question in my mind before I answered it.

"So, Francis and Jun-chan aren't here yet?" Mugi-senpai asked. I shook my head, making the blue-eyed girl smile, "Well then, if that's the case, then would you mind if I had a little chat with you, Satoshi-kun?"

"Uh sure, go ahead."

"It's about Francis."

"A… about Francis?"

"Yes." She confirmed, "You're his best friend, so I think this is something you should know."

* * *

At a loss for words, I left my present with Ui at the kitchen and led Mugi-senpai to the living room for the private chat. There was something I should know about Francis, especially because I was his best friend? I should know a fair lot about that dude, but Mugi-senpai insisted that I hear her out. What could it be though? I sat with in a spot by the kitchen, out of earshot of Yui-nee and Ui, eager to get to the bottom of this.

"Before I say anything else, let me ask you something Satoshi-kun." She said, "What do you think about Francis?"

"Erm, well, he's snarky like me. It's one of the reasons we get along." I said, "But you could say he's pretty smart… He's kind too and is willing to lend a hand, as long as it's not too much trouble."

"Go on…" Mugi-senpai said with a smile

"And he's pretty confident too." I said, "Especially when it comes to…"

Shoot! I was almost about to tell her about the Keion campaign he wanted to embark on. I needed countermeasures, fast!

"Finding a girlfriend?" Mugi-senpai asked, "Is that correct?"

Too late…

"Y… you know about that, senpai?" I asked, surprised that she already knows one of Francis' primary goals before Freshman year ends.

"Of course!" She said with an unflinching smile, "He tells me about that sort of stuff a lot, even when we were still in our Montreal trip. Recently, he says he especially likes my band mates too. I think it's kinda cute of him."

Ah… now I get why she and Francis are close. Just like me, she was one of his wingmen – combat support units in the messy battle of relationships.

"I see…" I said, still a little shock at this recent development, "So why are you telling me all of this, senpai?"

"Hmm... I know this is a straightforward way of saying it, but I'll cut to the chase, Satoshi-kun." She said, switching to a serious tone of voice, "Francis isn't as confident as you might think. As a matter of fact, he is quite the shy one."

"Francis, shy?" I laughed, "No way. That guy's got more self confidence than Lebron James or one of those American pros… there's no way he'd be shy."

"Ah, but he's only confident because he's you're friend." Mugi-senpai pointed out, "Because of that, he is confident when he's with either of us. When it comes to other people though, that isn't usually the case."

"He has acts differently towards other people?" I asked, "Or does he have a hard time getting to know others?"

"Both assumptions are valid." Mugi-senpai said, "When we were at Montreal, I was the only person he ever really talked to. He was really bashful when it comes to other people, I was surprised. Is he like that in the West too?"

"He is, yeah… I just realized now."

Looking back at the times I had known Francis, he usually only hung around with me. It was usually just the two of us during Middle School, I recalled. In High School, he befriended senpai, but aside from us, I never saw him around other people… There was that time in the music festival too. Rather than go after Yui-nee or Mio-senpai, or talk to some of the pretty band girls resting or waiting for their turn backstage, he just played Hanafuda with Mugi-senpai. Then, I knew there was something fishy about Francis' anecdote about the Montreal trip. Even if the roads were still snowed out, wouldn't the Philharmonic have travelled together on that icy sidewalk? In that anecdote, it was just him and Mugi-senpai… He must have opted to travel ahead of everyone else and Mugi-senpai just went along with him. I never would have thought my friend was like this... but he intended not to show that to us.

"Since the two of us are his friends, we would supposedly be the last to see this side of his. I just happened to notice it and I kept it to myself till now." Mugi-senpai said, "That's why I had to tell you about it."

"Hrm…" I mumbled, not sure how to take what I had just heard. "He may be a shy person, but he's got pride. He wouldn't admit something like that, especially not to us."

"Normally, it wouldn't be so much of a problem." Mugi-senpai then said, "But since Francis wants to ask one of the girls out, then he'll need some help. Today would be a perfect chance for him to get to know one of them too, but if no one helps him, this opportunity will pass him by."

True enough, with exams over and done with and the entire HTT being within reach, this was a perfect chance for him.

"So you're saying we should help him out?" I said, somehow grasping Mugi-senpai's message

"Yes." Mugi-senpai said with a smile, "But we must be discreet."

"Well, I'm more than willing to help out, Mugi-senpai." I reassured, "But why are you doing something like this for him all of the sudden?"

Somehow, she seemed rather eager to aid the half-Canadian in his campaign…

"He's a friend of mine, that's why." Mugi-senpai said, "I want him to be happy and I'm sure you do too."

"Fair enough. Alright then!" I said, psyching myself up for the task at hand, "Let's help that hopeless guy out."

"Lets!"

"Hey bro, your friends are here." Ritsu then called from the entrance, "I already let them in."

Mugi-senpai and I looked at each other and nodded in agreement. It was time to move. Mission start! Our plan to help Francis out today was a simple one; I would lead Francis to one of the girls and Mugi-senpai would be a sort of middleman, facilitating conversation between them. With the two of us present on the field, he would hopefully be able to talk to the girl. When they got acquainted enough, our job was done. Going over the battle plan one more time, Mugi-senpai and I got to work.

"Welcome to the party, my friends." I said, greeting the two half-Canadians in our foyer. Francis was holding a foil-wrapped tray while Jun held on to a paper bag. "You guys brought food?"

"Yeah." Jun said showing me the contents of the bag, "Poutine and doughnuts – it's our birthday gift to ya!"

So food was becoming a common birthday present nowadays…? Well, so as long as it's good, I won't complain. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Mugi-senpai chatting with Yui-nee at the kitchen. Ritsu had already brought Ui to the living room to set the place up for later, so it was just Mugi-senpai and Yui-nee there. Now that they were isolated, she then tucked her hair behind her ear – that was my signal to move.

"So Jun, Ui is in the living room with my sis." I said asking for the bag, "They're setting up the karaoke machine, so I can take this to the kitchen for you if you want."

"Karaoke? Awesome!" Jun said, handing me the bag and heading straight for the living room. "Thanks Satoshi-kun!"

"Could you take this for me too?" Francis joked, wondering if I could also take the tray for him.

"Do you want to sing karaoke too?" I inquired with a raised brow. He quickly shook his head. "Then you're coming with me."

I then led my friend to the kitchen to set our plan in motion. He didn't know what Mugi-senpai and I were up to, but he'll thank us later.

"Well hello Francis." Mugi-senpai then greeted happily, acting as if she didn't know he had already arrived

"Kotobuki-senpai." He greeted back with a curt salute, "Good to see you here... and Hirasawa-senpai..."

"Good afternoon to you too, Suzuki-kun!" Yui-nee greeted with energy. Her attention was then naturally grabbed by the smell of food coming from the tray he was holding and was quick to ask him what it was.

"It's Poutine." Francis said in a confident tone, "Made it myself!"

"Francis here knows how to cook." Mugi-senpai said to Yui-nee, "Isn't that nice?"

"Really?" Yui-nee said, absolutely fascinated, "Uwah~! Not a lot of guys know how to cook!"

"Blame it on my sister for not learning how to cook." Francis laughed as he set the tray on the counter between him and Yui-nee. Things were going well, it seems - there was some actual conversation going on between the two. There wasn't a hint of fright in Francis' voice, his face was friendly and receptive and he took in Yui-nee's excessive energy in stride… or so we thought.

The half-Canadian faced me for a second with a pleading face; the face of a soldier scared as hell and begging to be airlifted far, far away. He then turned back to Yui-nee and continued his almost flawless conversation. His feet however were terribly jittery and he was obviously in extreme discomfort. Yui-nee didn't suspect a thing, with there being a counter between them an all, but Mugi-senpai and I saw everything. He didn't say anything, nor did he intend to, but with his foot tapping turning into pleas of help in Morse code, Mugi-senpai and I knew the situation was critical. The two of us had a battle plan, yes, but not a complete panic-attack contingency plan. Neither of us had anticipated his shyness to reach critical mass so quickly, or how he could keep such a calm front from the waist up… a front we felt he couldn't keep up any longer. Then, the feather that broke the Canadian's back came.

The doorbell rang and Ritsu rushed over to get it. Behind the door was the petite sophomore guitarist of HTT with a bag from the local bookstore.

"Happy birthday Satoshi-kun." She said as she was about to hand me the bag, "I got you a CD set about keeping your rhythm so…"

Before she could finish though, Yui-nee caught the sophomore on her kyun-radar and promptly exclaimed,

"Azu-nyaaaaaaan~! You're here!"

My airheaded unofficial sister-in-law then dropped whatever she was doing and wrapped the unsuspecting newcomer in her arms, petting her like a stray cat. It was almost a perfect reenactment of the time Ui hugged Azusa. Surprise, resistance then acceptance. Yup… strangely arousing indeed. With Azusa in her grasp, she brought her to the living room to meet everyone else.

"Um, Satoshi-kun," Mugi-senpai said, bringing me back to reality, "Look at Francis… he's…"

Oh right, we were in the middle of a mission here! I got back to attending to Francis when an eerily cold aura emanated from the dude. Was this an aura Canadians normally emanated? Hopefully not… it was one of stress paired with disappointment. When Yui-nee dropped everything to lovingly assault Azusa, the conversation they were in the middle of was one of them. Now, the formerly calm Canadian looked as if he had seen a ghost. Scratch that. In that moment, he looked like a freakin' ghost! Just looking at him brought shivers up my spine...

"Ungh…" the Canadian groaned, almost like a zombie, "My head is spinning."

My head would be spinning too if I was in his shoes. Not only was the conversation he had struggled to muster up been shot down, his first quarry was now vigorously embracing his second. Things were quickly getting out of control here...

"I'm going to the toilet for a sec." Francis moaned almost expressionlessly, "I'll be right back."

He then trod over to the bathroom by the entrance, still expressionless and emotionally taxed, still looking like a damn ghost.

"So what do we do now Mugi-senpai?" I asked, "This is bad, really bad. He looks like a train wreck right now…"

It was at that time that Mio-senpai arrived at our doorstep. She rang the doorbell and Ritsu opened it as she had done for everyone else. The black-haired girl stepped inside and had her coat taken by my sister when the barely alive Francis passed by, emanating that cold deathly aura ever so strongly. Of all the people he had to show that aura to, it had to be the scaredy-cat Mio-senpai.

"Eek!" Mio-senpai panicked, terrified by the shattered Francis, "G… g… ghost!"

Then, just like that, the phobia-ridden lyricist-slash-bassist fainted. Looks like an overkill.

"Mio-senpai!" Francis gasped, snapping out of his zombie state in an instant, "Oh shoot…"

Francis and Ritsu then knelt beside the fainted girl and fanned her face to help her regain consciousness.

"Mio? Mio! MIO!" Ritsu cried ala-Metal Gear, "Revival pill! Use the revival pill! Don't go Time Paradox on us now!"

"Ritsu… Suzuki-kun?" Mio-senpai said dazedly as she came to, "Where's the ghost?"

"Erm, sorry about that Akiyama-senpai." Francis apologized, "I just felt a little down… you thought I was a ghost."

"Did I?" Mio-senpai asked laughing, "Oh my, I'm sorry Suzuki-kun."

"No, I should be the one saying sorry. It's my fault after all." Francis apologized, offering to help her up, "Here, I'll get you a glass of water."

Francis then brought the still weak Mio-senpai to her feet and led her to the kitchen to get her some water. Since he'd been here many times before, he knew where the glasses were and gave her something to drink.

"Mhm…" Ritsu noted, folding her arms with intrigue, "Is it me or do those two seem to be getting along?"

Francis poured Mio-senpai and himself a glass and the two talked shyly at first because of that previous scene, but eventually normalizing over time. They seemed to get along quite well, and he wasn't as anxious as he was with Yui-nee either.

"We did it Mugi-senpai!" I whispered to her

"Yeah." Mugi-senpai said in a happy tone, "We did it!"

Mission accomplished, I guess, and we didn't even do anything to seal the deal. Our plan had been awry from the start, but that didn't matter in the end. Was this the beginning of something new? Ritsu seemed to think so.

"Maybe we should leave them alone for now." Ritsu said, bringing me and Mugi-senpai to the living room where everyone else was. "Ui's waiting for you too, bro. She wants a duet with you!"

"Really now." I laughed, "I can't sing, but I'll see what I can do."

"The louder the better, boy." Ritsu said patting my shoulder, "But tell me, what have you and Mugi been up to?"

"Nothing in particular." Mugi-senpai and I said innocently. Before we disappeared into the living room though, Mugi-senpai stole one more glance at the two and sighed.

"Something up senpai?" I asked her

"I just felt a chill." She said, "It's winter after all, so that's normal, right?"

"Yeah, but don't worry senpai." I reassured, "If it's winter now, then that means spring is bound to come."

"That's true." Mugi-senpai said with a smile, "Spring will come."

* * *

Later that evening, my father came back home from work with a birthday cake he had picked up from the bakeshop near his office. With our energy totally unscathed by the past few hours of karaoke singing, storytelling, card games and coffee and tea, we gathered around the cake in high spirits. Ritsu, Ui and Yui dutifully placed the sixteen candles on the cake and lit them. Clapping in rhythm, my friends and family sang a simple happy birthday song and I was then placed before the sixteen flickering lights.

"Wait a sec Satoshi-kun." Ui said, breaking out a small video camera, "There, go for it!"

"Do you really have to videotape this?" I asked shyly, stealing glances of Ui with the camera

"Aww, come on. We have to capture the moment." Ui said, steadily holding the camera as she smiled, "Now go on, make your wish!"

That time of the year again, huh... Make a wish, make a wish... what should I wish for this year? In the past few birthdays I've had, I never really asked for anything since I didn't want anything in particular. Seeing all of the people assembled there to celebrate with me though, Ui standing before me and manning the camera, mom and dad and Ritsu standing at my side, Yui-nee, Azusa, Jun, Mugi-senpai, Francis and Mio-senpai huddled around in a semicircle, I knew that wouldn't be the case this year. Closing my eyes, I blew the candles and remembered the goals my sister and Ui had. I wished for the success of our bands but also hoped that we could always stay together like this. Being with all these wonderful people, that was all I wanted.

**To Be Continued**


	15. Moving On To The Big Leagues

**Author's Notes:** Hello everyone! With exams done for me, I am back to writing my stories here on the site! That being said, I will try to shorten update times as much as humanly possible! Thank you for your patience and I hope you all continue to support me! Feel free to say anything and everything you have in mind about the story! Every piece of feedback from reviews helps and is appreciated!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 15**

A seventeen year old girl walks through the streets of suburban Osaka, headed for the house of her closest friend and her little brother. The girl's hair flew around in the cold wintry gusts as did the bag he had in her gloved hands, a bag she held on to tightly to keep it from flying away into the horizon.

It was her friend's brother's birthday that day, so the bag held the gift she had intended to give to him; a left handed notebook and a set of pens. Since the brother, like her, was an aspiring, left-handed lyricist, she figured it was the perfect gift to give him. Also, that time she had spent with him to help him write lyrics for the first time at the downtown café further fortified that thought.

Aside from the brother's gift though, there was also another item tucked away in the fluttering bag; an extra large chocolate bar she planned to share with her friend that day. It was a fancy bar of chocolate, her friend's absolute favorite and a treat she knew her friend would definitely appreciate. Looking forward to the girl's colloquial overreaction, breaking the bar neatly in half and sharing it with her, the girl blushed. Maybe someday, she thought, they might be able to share something more… something sweeter than mere chocolate. Something intangible… Lost in that distant fantasy, the girl nearly missed the front gates of her destination – she had already arrived.

Stopping in her tracks, the girl turned to the house which, like everything around her, was blanketed by a light layer of snow. Distinct trails of footsteps were marked in the driveway, all of them leading to the front doorstep. The other guests had already arrived before her. Heaving a foggy sigh, the girl reached for the doorbell and rang.

Closing her eyes, the girl yawned while she waited for a response. Though the finals exams at Sakura-gakou had ended a few days ago, the girl was still taxed by lack of sleep. Once again, she had spent the night with earphones over her ears and a pen in her left hand, a common nocturnal activity of hers that lasted till dawn. She had been able to hide her tiredness well enough in the past, but as of late, she stayed up longer and longer and the burden on her energy grew along with it. The very moment the door opened and she saw the smiling face of her friend though, all that tiredness vanished.

"Afternoon, Mio!" her friend greeted cheerfully, observing the darkness under her eyes curiously, "You stayed up late again huh?"

"Exams are over, so I have more time to devote to writing." The girl said honestly, "When you get started on something nice, you just can't quit on it, you know?"

"Heh, I feel ya girl!" The friend grinned, patting the girl's shoulder supportively. "So come on inside. I'll take your coat too."

The two of them stepped inside and the friend took the girl's coat as promised. She dutifully hung it by the entrance where everyone else's coats already were. Scanning the rack, she recognized the coats and easily identified who owned them - Yui and Ui Hirasawa, Azusa Nagano, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Jun Suzuki. There was, however, one coat she did not recognize – a guy's.

Unable to identify the owner, the girl instead turned to her friend and fished out the chocolate bar from the bag.

"Uhm, Ritsu. I got you a little something."

She then hid the bar behind her, so that her friend couldn't see it.

"Oh-hoh~!" The friend said excitedly, "And what would this be?"

Before the girl could reveal her surprise though, another entity would interrupt to surprise her. Desperate groans of stress and hopelessness echoed from behind the friend, naturally stealing the girl's attention. The two turned to see who or what was making such an unearthly noise and saw a figure approaching them with slow and shaky gait, a look of melancholy of defeat and an aura of distinct coldness. The figure was pale too, making him indistinguishable from a ghost. Frightened, the girl dropped the bar and lost her breath, fainted and fell to the floor. Under those strange and unorthodox circumstances, the fate of the boy and the girl, my fate and that of Francis Suzuki would be intertwined.

* * *

Francis felt responsible for my panic attack, he said as we went to the kitchen for some water. I told him many times that it wasn't his fault. In truth, it was my fault for seeing him as something that he truly wasn't… an absurd figment of my imagination. The boy however insisted that he take responsibility. That made him happy, so I just kept my silence and let him think as he pleased.

"Here, have a seat." Francis said as he led me to a seat at the Tainaka household kitchen. Still shaken up from the earlier ordeal, I was still a little dizzy so I nearly tripped on my way there. "Oh, watch your step Akiyama-senpai."

Worried that I might trip again, the boy pulled up a chair and personally guided me slowly onto it. He then scrambled off to the counters to fetch the two of us some water.

"You seem to know this place well Suzuki-san," I said, noting how quickly he got from point A to point B. He opened drawers and took the glasses without more than a single glance.

"I know it like the back of my hand." He replied, filling the glasses with water and setting them on the table, one at my side and one at his. "Satoshi's a long time comrade of mine, so I've been here often."

Just like me and Ritsu, huh… friends since Middle School all the way into High School. Also, this place was like a second home to me. The same must be true for Francis. Raising the glass to my lips, I saw my reflection in the water, disturbed the ripples formed from my breath. There was a weak smile on the reflection's face. I took a sip and set the glass aside.

"Feeling better now Akiyama-senpai?" Francis asked, looking at me with concern

"Yeah, I'm good, Suzuki-kun." I reassured

"Ah, that's good." He replied with a smile, "Drink up, it'll make you feel better. Helps with headaches too."

Following his advice, I took another gulp of water, halving its contents.

"By the way, senpai." Francis then said with a slight bashfulness in his tone, "I found this on the floor after Ritsu-senpai and I brought you up."

He showed me the chocolate bar I had dropped, making me gasp in shock. I must have sat on it when I fell.

"This is an awesome brand of chocolate." He said, plopping the bar between us on the table, "Too bad, it's crushed now…"

"Yeah, well…" I said, trying my best not to sound disheartened, "Accidents happen… I guess I'll just have to throw it away."

"Throw it away?" Francis asked surprised, "You can't just throw it away!"

"Why not?"

He then tore open the wrapper.

"Look." He said, picking up a fragment, "It's still chocolate."

"Wait a sec…"

Not heeding my call, the boy took a bite and finished the piece. Why was he doing this?

"Still pretty good." He then said, "Even though it's crushed, it still tastes great. That's the mark of good chocolate."

"Is that so…" I said, remembering that I had been planning to share that bar with Ritsu. The remaining contents of the bar consisted now of a large intact chunk, a handful of fragments and countless grains of chocolate ground under my weight. Sharing something of that nature with Ritsu wouldn't be something I would have wanted to do… perhaps it was better that he takes it.

"Argh… right, of course." Francis then groaned, "You must have been saving this for yourself, I'm sorry."

"No, no." I said shaking my head, "It's alright Suzuki-kun. You can have it."

"Really?" Francis asked, "Well then, let me at least give you something in return."

The boy stood up and went to the kitchen counter, fetching a paper bag and opening it for me.

"Here, take one." He said kindly, insisting that I help myself.

"What is it?" I said, reluctant to reach into the bag

"They're doughnuts." He grinned, "I made them myself."

He offered the bag to me one more time and I went on and reached in. There was warmth that surrounded my hand in the bag, the heat of the freshly baked doughnuts enveloping it gently almost as if caressing it. It was a sort of warmth I hadn't felt in a long time – warmth that was meant for someone.

I picked one up and felt a softness I never thought possible in a pastry product. Tenderness, I thought. Pulled out of the paper bag, a simple doughnut coated in powdered sugar saw daylight. I opened my mouth, took a bite and was amazed by the distinct explosion of taste. Compared to the chocolate bar that had solidified and gone cold a long time ago, this doughnut was a work of wonder – a work of beauty.

"You know, Kotobuki-senpai really liked that stuff when she had some in Montreal." Francis explained, "Since she liked it so much, I figured I'd make some, eh?"

Oh… so this actually was meant for someone else. This warmth… this tenderness. Making that connection, my heart skipped a beat as if trying to remind me of something I had almost forgotten. The feint! This boy could be my chance to retry the feint, my chance to solidify and perpetuate my relationship with Ritsu. However, if his heart already belonged to someone else then I have no right to stand in his way…

"Senpai?" Francis asked, wondering why I was looking far into the distance, "Are you alright?"

"I am." I said plainly, "I was just… thinking."

"What is it about, senpai?" He asked

"It's nothing." I said, forcefully mustering up a smile, "So anyways, thanks for helping me out Suzuki-kun. The doughnut was great and it was nice talking to you."

"It was nice talking to you too senpai." The boy replied, a shy smile stamped on his face. "Hopefully we'll have another chance to talk."

What was this? Bashfulness? I recognized this sort of bashfulness. It was the kind I felt and hid whenever I was with Ritsu. Could it be that he fancied me? If so, then I must have a chance!

"I'm sure we'll have another chance." I said, "We're going to be seeing more of each other in the year to come after all."

"That's true Akiyama-senpai," Francis said, his face turning red, "That's true."

"By the way Francis." I said, calling him by his first name, "You don't have to call me Akiyama-senpai. Just Mio is fine."

From that point on, the two of us referred to each other by our first names. We exchanged e-mails and phone numbers and stayed in contact through those channels in the next two weeks. Even though we didn't really see each other, the two of us inched closer and closer, becoming more and more comfortable with the sound of each other's voice and learning each other's lingo. Rather than being a chore, as it would have been the case had I tried it on another guy, it was quite the pleasurable ride. Francis was a funny man who had a deep pool of anecdotes to draw from at any given time. He also was, however, sensitive and was a really good listener… He was shaping up to be a good friend, but I wanted to push it further than that. I had to push it further than that and he seemed more than willing to do let me have my way.

All that time though, there was a question in the otherwise clear path ahead, one that I had been pondering about since square one – what sort of relationship did he have with Mugi? I had resolved many times over to ask either of them about that but I never got around to doing it. I reasoned to myself that I wanted to be discreet, but maybe I was just afraid to find out… what a weak heart I have. Luckily for me, I would have a chance to discern the reality for myself.

* * *

It was December 31st, the day of Hokago Tea Time's New Year gig at the downtown Osaka Live House. The girls and I, along with Satoshi, Ui and Nodoka were meeting at the Osaka Conservatory to pick Mugi up from her practice with the Philharmonic Orchestra. We were told that the Orchestra was already gearing up for it's Autumn concert that would be held in San Francisco in 2011. Also, Mugi's mother was returning as a cello player while Mugi's father was assigned to be the maestro. Hoping to see the Kotobuki family in action on stage, I went to the Conservatory early. Their practice however had ended roughly ten minutes ago and the Conservatory Theater was deserted… almost.

Only one person remained on stage, seated behind the sleek black grand piano under the spotlight. The long locks of golden hair and the calm blue oceans in her eyes were unmistakable; it was Mugi. She looked like she was preparing to play.

Laying her hands on the keyboard with gentleness comparable to a lamb, she played a smooth melody that rang clear in the theater's excellent acoustics. Note after note, chord after chord… they came in slow succession as the pianist was slowly absorbed in the beauty of the sound. Then, a distinct sound came from the offstage, joining the melody of the piano. It was the sound of a violin.

Obviously, the girl was surprised, but she kept on playing as a smile formed on her face. The violinist revealed himself, climbing up the stage as he ran the bow through the strings. Their melodies mixed together in the theater, creating a sound that could have brought one to heaven.

It was at that point that I found the answer to my question. Watching them from where I stood, the two of them seemed to be close. In reality though, the stage they were on was large and they were standing quite far from each other. Francis walked slowly towards where the piano was but curiously stopped halfway, satisfied with playing at the center of the stage. It was as if there was an enmity between them, one that Francis was putting between them. He had every right to walk closer and to play at her side, but he chose to stay there in the middle. They were just friends.

This was the green light for me.

* * *

Days passed after the successful performance at the Live House and the first week of January was already upon us. We met many great bands that day and our music was enjoyed by the crowd gathered there to celebrate the New Year. I even found Shinohara-san from Satoshi's school snooping around and writing about the performances on a pad paper. I actually read her article on the local newspaper about the show on the 2nd. It was pretty well-made, I have to say, and it boosted our publicity. More than ever, we felt like we were getting closer to Ritsu's ambitious goal of reaching Natsufest before we graduate. Another thing I felt during that performance however was a painful sensation on my fingers when I fretted the strings; they had gone rusty. It was the New Year, so I figured it was high time to change my strings again.

Bringing my Precision and its bag, I took a stroll down to the nearby mall to visit the music store to get some new strings. It was remarkably colder than usual as I walked, but I didn't mind. I had my thickest set of clothing on and I had grown used to feelings of coldness anyways, so it didn't matter to me. I descended down the music store escalator and went to the clerk to ask for some strings. He then told me to wait there while he went to their store room to fetch me some, so stay there I did.

As I waited there though, I saw Francis again, descending from the escalator with his violin case in hand. I wanted to call out to him, but the serious look on his face kept me from saying a word. It was a look similar to that he had worn when I first saw him at the Tainaka household, one that looked like a ghost. Having seen that face once, I was not as afraid of it as I once was… just enough to keep my words to myself.

'What was he doing here?' I thought to myself, wondering what brought someone like him to this music store. This particular store didn't hold any stock of violins or any equipment related to violins. All the instruments sold here were modern, none were classical. Apparently, he wasn't looking for any classical instruments today.

The boy went before the wall lined with electric guitars and set aside his violin case. He then picked up the closest guitar he could find and started playing to the tune of an American song I didn't know. From the way he fretted the strings and the sound that emanated from them, I could tell it was a rock song… maybe even grunge. He didn't sing, but his mouth moved, wording out the lyrics in English.

"_With the lights out, it's less dangerous!._

_Here we are now, entertain us!_

_I feel stupid, and contagious!_

_Here we are now, entertain us!_

…

_A mulatto…_

_An albino…_

_A mosquito…_

_My libido…_

…

_Yeah, a denial_

_A denial!"_

No sound came from his mouth, but I heard a cry of pain as he strummed… a silent cry of pain, then a sob. He stopped playing to rub his eyes then promptly played again.

"Here you go miss." The clerk then said, coming back with the set of strings I had asked for. I thanked the man, paid for the strings and went on out of the shop. At the front entrance of the mall though, the guard stopped me from leaving. There was a snowstorm outside.

I turned around to find a suitable waiting place when I ran into Francis again, holding his violin case once more.

"Akiyama… I mean, Mio!" Francis greeted, "Fancy seeing you here!"

"Yeah, same." I said, still remembering what I had seen in the music store.

"Something wrong Mio?" Francis then asked, "You look like you've seen a ghost. Don't tell me I still frighten you."

Hearing that, I couldn't help but chuckle. Seems he still remembered the time we first met. Behind that laughter though, I was hiding my concern for the boy. I really felt like I was in the presence of a ghost… a ghost that had lost his way. I didn't feel frightened, to be honest. I just felt pity.

"Seems like there's a snowstorm out." Francis said, looking out the mall's glass doors, "It's not as bad as the ones in my country, but we should probably wait it out."

"Yeah… we probably should." I agreed, "I'll treat you to a burger while we're at it."

"Burger? Lucky!" Francis laughed cheerfully. It made me wonder how much of that cheer was real and how much of that cheer was forced. We got a seat at the food court and I bought the two of us a value meal each. Over a snack of burgers, fries and cola, the conversations we had shared through texts and e-mails because live. He told me stories of how he spent Christmas with Jun and his family in Halifax, Canada while I gave him a summary of our performance at the Live House in exchange. When he noticed that I had my bass with me, he was quick to ask me why I had it today.

"I got myself some new strings." I said, showing him the box of strings I had bought earlier, "My old ones were getting rusty, so I figured I should replace them."

"Nice, nice." Francis grinned, showing no sign of the melancholy he was in just minutes ago, "One has to take good care of their instruments, eh?"

"Of course…" I said, putting back the box in my bags, "So my turn. What are you doing here?"

"Me? Oh… well." He said, fidgeting as he tried to muster up a response, "I was just looking around the Music Store myself."

"Were you looking at the electric guitars, perchance?" I asked knowingly

"Eh? You were there when I…"

I gave him a nod of confirmation.

"Ah sheesh…" He sighed, scratching the back of his head, "That's embarrassing. I'm guessing you saw me play too."

"I did, actually." I said with a smile, "I didn't know what you were playing though."

"_Smells Like Teen Spirit."_ Francis said, "It's by Nirvana, a band from the US."

"No wonder why I didn't recognize it…" I admitted, "But it was good. I liked the way you played."

"Really?" The boy blushed, "It's a shame that I don't have the money to buy a guitar yet… I've always been dreaming of switching to the electric guitar."

"Why is that?"

"Even though Satoshi and Ui say that they like my violin," Francis said, his voice becoming serious, "a second guitar for Okaeri! would be much more useful than a violin. Don't you think so too Mio?"

"Well, the violin is nice in its own regard." I said, "But I won't deny the usefulness of a second guitar in your troupe. Ever since Azusa joined us as our second guitarist, we achieved a depth we couldn't reach when we first started out… However... Mugi's keyboard was…"

"That's why I want to get a guitar." Francis said, apparently not hearing the last few words I said, "I want to reach that depth… I want to be useful to the band. I don't want to be a freeloader who just follows the bassline and lives off on improvisation… I want to be part of the actual fabric of the song. I don't want to be a hassle."

A hassle… that's the way I felt about myself with the Light Music Club too sometimes. Being the scaredy cat that I was, I kept the club from doing things they would have wanted to do. I was bound by my fears and kept the band from letting its imagination run wild. I was hindering our full potential.

Of course, the others wouldn't admit that to be true. Especially Ritsu… she wouldn't say something like that to me. She was too kind to do that. The same would go for Francis and his friends. We were on the same boat. Finally coming to this understanding, I was moved to speak… the same way I was moved when the teacher asked me that question a long time ago… the same way I was moved when I saw 'Ritsu' at the Cultural Festival.

My tongue loosened by my emotions, I told the boy about the difficulty of being left handed. I told him the difficulty of being shy. I told him every frustration I had in this dark, frigid world save for that one bit about the way I felt about my friend. That was something I had to keep to myself no matter what.

In response, he told me about his troubles… about being called effeminate for his cooking despite him being straight, about having a hard time speaking Nihonggo daily, about being relatively poor and about not having many friends. I realized that I wasn't alone in this lonely, perilous journey... I wasn't the only one suffering silently in this world... I wasn't alone.

Then the snowstorm stopped.

"Well... I guess I should be going then." Francis then said, tired from his passionate monologue, "The storm's over... and I think I said too much."

"No, it's alright." I said, fairly tired from my own monologue as well, "It's nice to let our true feelings out every once in a while. If we keep them to ourselves for too long, our hearts might explode."

"That's true..." The boy sighed, "It's quite relieving... helps with the headaches."

"Maybe this will help too." I said, kissing his cheek. The boy blushed madly and had trouble talking.

"A... Akiyama-senpai..."

"It's Mio." I said, putting a finger on his mouth, "Call me Mio."

Not letting him speak again, I kissed him on the lips.I felt his heart beat nervously against his chest while mine was oddly calm... as if I felt nothing. With that kiss, I knew had started something I shouldn't have started. These weren't my true feelings. I had consummated a lie - a lie I needed to keep the truth alive.

Little did I know that the consequences of falsehood were greater than I had ever anticipated.

**To Be Continued**


	16. On To The Next Round!

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 16**

Life is like a box of chocolates; you'll never know what you're going to get. I first heard the famous line from the American film _Forrest Gump_ when my family and I watched it a few years back. I was twelve then and Ritsu was barely fourteen and my sister and I got into an argument about the truthfulness of that line. Ritsu said that it meant that life was full of surprises but I stubbornly argued that nothing in life can be surprising when subjected to proper rationale and meticulous planning.

I told her that if one opened the 'box of chocolates' before taking a piece, then one would know exactly what piece he or she would get. There might be some element of surprise, I admitted, the first time one opens the box, but that would not be true the second time or the third time and thereafter. Ritsu was dumbfounded by my explanation and pieced together a counterargument that said that one would be blindfolded when choosing a piece or that someone else was pelting the chocolates at him or her for good measure. When one is faced with a speeding projectile aimed at their face, it wouldn't matter if it was milk chocolate or dark or not chocolate at all! I claimed that her argument lacked essence and the arbiters, our parents, sided with me. I won the argument, but as time passed, I realized that Ritsu's bizarre explanation of the line might have been more accurate to the way it worked in real life.

Indeed, life is full of surprises. From the time Ritsu and Yui-nee got sick to the time Ui and I became lovers. From the time I battled with the enraged Yui at the Hirasawa kitchen to our rousing success in the Winter Music Festival. There was some planning involved, but it was sporadic… impulsive even. My decision to play along with Yui-nee instead of calling the cops was one example. I never saw any of these coming and the varied flavors of chocolate I got through all of that have blended together somehow to make the unique flavor of the present. It was sweet and mellow, but I knew all too well that it was the flavor of the present for a reason. The future held many more pieces of chocolate to be pelted at me and a certain piece would come at me from directions I did not expect.

Classes resumed in the western Osaka on the second week of January on Friday, marking the start of the winter term which would stretch until summer break. I always complained about the end of a break and the start of school with a vigor fit for a worker on strike but starting the semester on a Friday made it feel like the general strike in Havana against the Batista government in the heat of the Cuban revolution. Hearing the uniform groans of my classmates as I walked into my classroom that morning, I knew it was true for everyone else there. Had I a few crates of Garands, a boat named Granma and a large beard, I felt like I could have started something with this but alas, I had none of these.

In total contrast to the eerie aura given of by the somber classroom though, there was certain person seated near my desk however was humming the tune of L'arcenciel's _Driver's High_. It was Francis, head-banging to the beat of the old popular song.

I creeped up to the front of his desk, hoping that my fellow revolutionary also shared our inherent spite and that he was perhaps psyching up for a filibuster. The half-Canadian however was just freakin happy! Madness! How dare he not share our pain today? Even Ritsu and Yui-nee were dispirited by the start of their classes at Sakura-gakou. Mio-senpai was neutral but Ui was a tad bit cheerful, but this guy was on cloud nine. Pissed off by his blatantly happy daze, I just sat at my desk and tried to ignore that. He would have made a good Che Guevarra too with the right beret. Tch…

"Ah good morning Satoshi-kun." My friend said with that displeasingly happy tone, turning to me as if the Comintern had already won, "It's a wonderful day to start the school year is it not?"

"What's up with you Che?" I grumbled, appealing to his revolutionary solidarity "When the Spring and the Autumn terms started, you were the first person to demand freedom from the shackles of institution! I appointed you as Minister of Trade for a reason, you know! Have the bourgeois brainwashed you when you went to Canada for the holidays?"

"Oh no, no." Francis said, catching on to my drift rather quickly, "Canada trades freely with Cuba and has done so even after the US trade embargo, Fidel. I still do want to get out of this wretched place as soon as possible. Here. I even drafted up my monthly column for the school paper."

He handed me the sheet of paper and I scanned through it, looking for any signs of conformity. There was none. It was still perfectly revolutionary! If that was his way to get me to re-assign the imaginary combat column that was originally his to begin with, then this would have been enough to convince me to do so. If that's the case, then… something good must have happened to him. Something…

"Mio-se… erm, Mio and I are dating."

Uh… what? Did he say what I thought he just said?

"Staring at me with your jaw dropped like that isn't exactly comfortable, dude. You would have dropped your cigar by now monsieur Castro." Francis laughed, "You heard me right though. She and I are dating now."

My jaw stayed down and the phantom cigar sat crumbling on my desk as I was lost for words. I shook my head, trying to string together some sort of response but I couldn't. It was as if a large chunk of chocolate had missed my mouth and hit the back my head and knocked me silly… or if my prized Castro cap had been blown by the wind in some alley. My reaction to those would have been the same.

"Heh, I don't blame you for being surprised, dude." He said in an understanding tone, "I was quite surprised myself when it happened."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "You've wanted to date her for the longest time now, and you two have been getting closer since my birthday party. What's to be surprised about?"

"You may be right." My friend said, scratching his head, "It's just that I didn't think that she'd come on to me like that."

"Oh wow…" I said, running my palm through my face in amazement. It was like he took Havana without firing a single bullet! "When did you two become official?"

"Two days ago." Francis said, "School was supposed to start on Thursday, but the snowstorm pushed that back."

So that explains why the school had the gall to start the semester on a Friday. Back to topic…

"And neither of you have told anyone about it yet?" I asked again

"Nope." Francis said with a smile, "It's a surprise for everyone… though, I guess I spoiled it for you. Hehe."

"Hmm… well, congratulations to you I guess." I said with mixed feelings, "I always thought that Mio-senpai would be one of the hardest girls to get. You told me that was the case once… I guess that wasn't true after all."

As I said that, the fateful encounter I had with Mio-senpai at the Cultural Festival came to mind. I had yet to tell anyone about that incident nor did I plan to any time soon. Not to Ui. Not even to Ritsu… especially not Ritsu. Pieces of chocolate like that were curious ones – ones I'd rather keep to myself to decide what was best to do with it. If Mio-senpai really did choose Francis on her own accord though, then I guess I have nothing to worry about. He seemed happy enough to let Mio-senpai have her way and must have played his cards well intentionally or not. What right do I have to stop him?

The teacher then walked in and classes began. Syllabuses were handed out and the dreaded lectures began like the machine guns of the Moncada Barracks garrison, compelling the lazier students, I included, to fish out our cellphones and to text away under the cover of our desks. To my surprise, a hard worker like Francis joined in on our modus operandi and was tapping away at the keypad happily. Unintentionally, my attention was caught by the display picture of his phone – it was a picture of him and Mugi-senpai together in what seemed like a snow bank and laughing their hearts out. He stared at fondly it for a while before changing it with a few keystrokes to a picture of him and Mio-senpai.

There was a revolution had manifested before my eyes and a new flag was raised in my friend's heart. What this particular revolution would result in, I'd just have to find out. I'll keep picking away at that box of chocolates, or to watch out for the flying pieces. You'll never know what you're going to get… and when or how you're going to get it.

* * *

The end of classes for the day came soon enough and Francis and I made our way to the Press Room for our first meeting of the term. Even though we met with our band mates and my sister's band in Sakura-gakou, our work in the Press Club was just as important. Senpai and the other members have been lenient to our early evacuations from the room for the Winter Music Festival, but we couldn't just keep relying on lenience.

"Honest work for an honest day's pay." Senpai said with a smile as we told her we'd still attend the weekly meetings and write the monthly columns, "I'm glad you two still plan to stick around, but will you be able to juggle this with your band practices?"

"We'll be able to work something out." I reassured, "The HTT and Okaeri! are two different bands after all. HTT can use the room first while we're gone and Okaeri! can have its turn when we get there. Should be simple enough."

"Very well, my comrades." Senpai said patting my shoulders, "Cause I was a little worried some of my new 'acquisitions' would go to waste."

She brought the two of us to our cubicle and we were surprised to see that there were two desktop computers now instead of one. New desktops had been installed in the other cubicles as well and we were amazed.

"Comrades!" Senpai said proudly, "Now, we have desktops for everybody!"

Despite all the hype the desktops made, we still shared the same crappy network the school provided. It was communal, yes, but inefficiently slow. A network upgrade has been asked for and is in the works, but the school bureaucracy has and will red tape that plan into the miscellaneous pile yet again. Maybe we'll try again when the school gets its budget balanced. For now, the mystery remained – how did senpai pay for all of this?

"I used part of the club fund and my own money." Senpai said with an authoritative grin, "That job I landed at the local paper paid rather well… though I did ask for an advance or two to get the last few computers. It's all good."

"Well, this is great senpai. Satoshi and I won't have to share a keyboard when cramming the columns anymore!" Francis laughed, drawing senpai's disappointed glare. The notoriety Francis and I had for cramming columns was legendary within the club… we should probably try to change our image someday. Changing the subject, Francis then leaned into his computer chair and asked, "But do you think there would be another opening at the local paper?"

"You want a job now too huh Suzuki-kun." Senpai said, "Are you saving up for something perhaps?"

"I am." Francis said with a determined nod

"Hmm… You could me my assistant or something, though I can't promise you anything as of now." Senpai said, "On top of that, assisting a freelancer probably won't pay as much as you would hope. Just to make things clear."

"As long as there is reasonable cash flow, I'll take it." Francis said, "Every little bit helps."

"I'll put in a recommendation for you then later at work." Senpai replied, "I'll even get you some application forms too! Just get a resume ready as soon as possible, okay?"

"Will do!"

"What about you Satoshi-kun?" Senpai asked, "Want to give working for real a shot too?"

"I'll pass." I said, waving my hand to decline, "I don't really want anything in particular, so I don't really need to get a job as of now. Besides, writing lyrics is a full time occupation too."

"Your loss, comrade." Senpai shrugged, "So let's all get back to work then. We have our own press room to attend to right here. Put those new computers to good use – the resale value already dropped sharply the moment we opened the boxes, y'hear?"

* * *

Later that afternoon, an uneasy silence fell as Mio and Francis stood together before everyone else in the music room. Everyone there held their breaths as the pair spoke out, beating around the bush too often for their own good. The theories everyone present there came up with grew wilder by the moment. Yui-nee thought they had forgotten their lunches. Azusa thought that they caught the cold. Ritsu thought they had committed a murder. Sawako even thought they were drafted to the Chinese Navy. The two denied every single one. Then, they shot the mortars and told them that they were now officially boyfriend and girlfriend.

"M… Mio and Francis are…" Ritsu gasped, "you two are…"

"Yes…?" Mio-senpai asked, eager to know what my sister thought about her announcement. She bit her lip as she was expecting a bad reaction – as if the preceding theories everyone had come up with weren't bad enough. The mortar shells then hurtled back to the earth in rapid succession.

"Kya~!" My sister then squealed, overcome by happiness, "Congratulations Mio! I'm so happy for you… and good choice too Suzuki-kun!"

"Thank goodness…" Mio-senpai sighed, relieved for some reason.

Everyone else then followed in suit, congratulating the two and demanding details. Everyone except for me of course, since I saw this coming from a mile away. I even had a mental bomb shelter made just for the occasion. Francis however glared at me as if demanding that I looked surprised. Joining in on the euphoric explosion-fest, I threw in a few 'Damn, buddy!' comments here and there and I was off the hook.

"Alright then, a round of tea for everyone then Mugi!" Ritsu said in a celebratory tone, "This is excellent news!"

Mugi-senpai nodded silently and hurried to prepare cups of tea for everyone. Sawa-chan however hovered around Francis, staring cold knives into the half-Canadian's eyes and making him shrivel up.

"You do understand what you have gotten yourself into here, boy." Sawa-chan said in a half-growl, "Remember that deal we had the first day you and Satoshi-kun came here to practice with us. Should you ever break one of these girls' hearts, then you're facing a fate worse than a People's Liberation Army court martial! I have an arsenal of costumes here at my disposal that I'd be happy to '_let'_ you try out. Hehe, I even have a maid costume exactly your size… Wouldn't that be great, Suzuki-kun?"

"Y… you have my word Sawako-sensei." Francis stammered stiffly, "I'll take care of Mio! I promise!"

It seems like this guy will be bound to Mio-senpai in more ways than one now. I didn't know whether I should feel happy for him or sorry for him. Joining the Chinese Navy didn't seem so bad after hearing something like that. Braving Sawa-chan's costume rape threats for his new relationship though, I salute him. I just hope things won't end up bloody… or frilly, for that matter.

Settling back into our seats, Mugi-senpai came around the table with a tray laden with teacups and proceeded to serve us the tea everyone at that table loved. The ten cups were placed around the extended table of the music room and we all sipped together. It was good tea – the same high quality tea expected of Mugi-senpai's wares. There was one small problem with the tea Mugi-senpai had served us – it didn't have sugar.

"Oh, candy sprinkles*!" Mugi-senpai 'swore', setting aside the tray of teacups to fetch the sugar cubes. However, the container was empty. "Seems we ran out of sugar…"

"I can get some for you in the storeroom." Francis offered

"No, no. I can get it, Francis." Mugi-senpai said with a smile, "I'll be right back."

In the blink of an eye, Mugi-senpai was gone, leaving everyone somewhat puzzled.

"We never ran out of sugar before." Yui-nee said, "Though we haven't restocked in a while, I guess."

"Yeah, well shouldn't have expected our supply to be endless either." Azusa added, "It's high time we resupply."

Mugi-senpai then returned with a can of sugar cubes, gave everyone the sugar they wanted and dropped the rest into the empty container.

"I'll be sure to get some from the supermarket tomorrow." Mugi-senpai reassured, "Sorry for this mishap!"

"Don't worry about it Kotobuki-san." Francis laughed, "This was bound to happen one time or another. It's not your fault."

"If you say so." Mugi-senpai smiled, "Anyways, I have some snacks ready to make up for it! I insist you guys have some!"

"Ooh~! Snacks!" Yui-nee squealed, "Whatcha get today Mugi-chan? Whatcha get?"

"Bavarian doughnuts!" Mugi-senpai said proudly. "Straight from Bavaria!"

The blonde-haired girl promptly served the doughnuts to everyone and squeals of delight and complement bounced around the room, Yui-nee's being the loudest of them all. Once the last of the doughnuts had been eaten (though I'm pretty sure Yui-nee snuck one out for herself later), we all got down to business.

The meeting that followed our little snack time could be summed up with a simple phrase; "Natsufest or bust". The goal which we had set for the next few months was to perform in Natsufest 2011 in late July, one of the biggest music events of the year. Comparing our Winter Music Festival to Natsufest would be like comparing a handheld mortar to a Paris Gun – no contest. Not only was it a much larger event, site-wise. It was a national event featuring bands from the entire country and some top-line bands from neighboring nations. The stakes were high. The plan therefore was to attend as many gigs as humanly possible for the next few months. Natsufest was going to be held in late July, but time can flow surprisingly as we would soon find out.

January, February then March came and went before we knew it without a single performance for either Okaeri or the HTT. Not only had the schoolwork piled up quickly after the lull of the first week of the semester, the live house the HTT frequented was closed for renovation and the other ones nearby were subsequently full. The finals exam of the Winter Term was a hassle too, staunching whatever progress we could have made. Simply put, the school year had ended for everyone and we were still at square one. Francis, Ui, Jun, Azusa and I were now sophomores while Ritsu and the rest of the girls were now seniors and yet, we were nowhere close to achieving our goal.

With each passing day, Natsufest crept closer and closer and our chances of landing a spot, if there were any left, grew dishearteningly slim. TV and radio ads about Natsufest filled the airwaves and promotional posters covered the alleyways and side street walls. Still, we kept our hopes up and tried our best to think positive about our situation. Sawa-chan however didn't seem to have a lot of faith in our campaign.

"You know…" Sawa-chan said once in one of our meetings, "we could always just get tickets to go to the event. Watching Natsufest as part of the audience can be a great experience too – you guys don't necessarily have to perform."

"But as long as we still have a chance at it, we shouldn't give up." Ritsu countered, "Watching the event would be great, but performing there would be a dream come true!"

"A dream come true, huh." Sawa-chan said intrigued, "Do you really still think you lot have a legitimate chance at earning a performance slot in Natsufest?"

"Aww, come on Sawa-chan." Ritsu laughed, "Is now the time for that negativity of yours?"

"I'm not being negative Tainaka-san." Sawa-chan replied in a serious tone, "I'm being realistic."

"What do you mean Sawa-chan?" Yui-nee asked innocently, "The event is still in July – we have around four months to get noticed!"

"And surely, the Natsufest organizers have been scouting for potential performers for a long time. Bands would tour the entire country for months on end… maybe even years! Even that does not assure them a slot on the event." Sawa-chan said in a somber tone, "I'm telling you this out of personal experience… I won't elaborate, but I've already tried and failed even after putting in so much effort."

"You're talking about Death Devil, aren't you, sensei?" Azusa asked. The teacher nodded and continued her lament.

"It was also my dream to perform at least once in Natsufest." She said, taking off her glasses and wiping a tear, "However, it just seems to be like an unreachable star… like a Dulcinea, if you wish. I'd have to be a delusional hidalgo to think I can still catch it. To enter Natsufest, you see… you have to reach the ears of as many people as you can. Tours were the prime solution for amateur bands like ours back in the day, but even that is limited in scope… and it's not like we don't have other things in our lives to take care of and nurture."

The teacher sighed to catch her breath then turned to me and Ritsu and said,

"I'm just offering you another way out." Sawa-chan said, "Just get the tickets and attend Natsufest. It will spare you the heartbreak of failing… Okaeri and the HTT are talented bands, I give you that. Frankly though, I'm not entirely sure if either of them have a chance with the way things are going."

"But if we don't give it a shot, then we won't have a chance at all." I argued, "Cowering away from the challenge might just make us regret it later! Banking on a small chance might be risky, not knowing what lies ahead and whatnot, but we'll never know until we try. Life is like a box of chocolates after all, you'll never know what you're going to get."

"Forrest Gump." Ritsu smiled, "You still remembered that line, huh?"

"Yeah, and that little argument we had about it." I said, "Life might throw those chocolates at us like a baseball, launch it off a howitzer or fire it from a railgun, but we have to take our stand and keep our mouths open to catch it!"

Everyone there looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"So let us have our chance, Sawa-chan." I pleaded, "It doesn't matter if we reach Natsufest or not. What matters is that we tried."

"Idealist now, huh." Sawa-chan laughed, "I guess I'll save those tickets for some other time. Don't come crying to me for them later though."

The teacher left then left the room to prepare to leave the school for the night, amused by the determined show of force Ritsu and I had given. With the day turning to night, the nine of us remaining there came together one more time before we called it a night. We understood the truthfulness in Sawa-chan's words and knew that if we still wanted to have a shot at our crazy goal, we had to do something new… something massive… something global. We didn't have time to tour the whole district, let alone the whole country. However… I had an idea.

"Ui." I said, turning to the ponytailed girl at my side, "Do you still have that video camera you brought with you to my birthday party?"

"I do have it, yes." Ui nodded, "Is there something you have in mind Satoshi-kun?"

"Yep." I grinned, capturing everyone there in hand-crosshairs like a director would, "Music videos… we're going to make music videos!"

It was the perfect way to reach out to the world I thought. All I needed was some grade-A propellant to start yet another massive media fire. Senpai did owe me a favor, and with her connection to the local press, this might just work.

* * *

大阪府西部地区の新聞/Western Osaka District Newspaper

エンターテイメントセクション/Entertainment Section

2011年4月16日/April 4, 2011

**Taking it to Natsufest!**

_The snow has long since gone from the streets and the temperatures are rising swiftly as spring breezes through the calendars. We may be in the middle of spring, but all eyes are on the impending summer break! Beaches, watermelon, ridiculously long road trips and everything the youth and the young of heart of Japan love to do, topped off with the hottest musical event of the season; Natsufest 2011!_

_With bands from all across the country and some of the greatest bands from China, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the US and the Philippines__, this is the event all you music lovers out there have been waiting for! Lines for tickets of the prestigious event have already started forming as early as January and they will only get longer and longer till the immaculate last week of July, but what about the lines formed by the hopeful performers? Unbeknownst to the common Natsufest concert-goer , the lines for the chance to perform can also be insanely long._

_Landing a chance to perform on the hallowed stages of Natsufest is no walk in the park. As a matter of fact, a band or performer must often travel throughout the nation and make a name for themselves with the power of music and love. Past performers of the previous Natsufest events, especially the younger ones who still attend school would agree that they would have to move mountains to be noticed by the organizers. It is a problem that has haunted the hopefuls for as long as the event has been held… but no longer! Enterprising performers from the Western Osaka District have come up with a solution to that problem that had long plagued the performance candidates._

_The newspaper, the radio and television have done much to shorten the distance between people in the past few decades, but the monumental rise of the internet, access to another prefecture, or to another country, for that matter, is only a click away. With that being said, these hopefuls plan to use the internet to send their voices out to the world and invite the aspiring bands and performers of Japan to do the same! __They have proposed a nationwide competition for Japanese bands to be held over the internet to be judged by the worldwide community. The videos would be ranked according to the number of likes and would hopefully catch the attention of the organizers. The like button doesn't lie after all, though there are many arguments about the validity of that phrase._

_After a surprise interview with top-ranking members of the Natsufest Planning Committee, insider sources have confirmed that the committee will be monitoring the unofficial event. They have stated interest and intrigue in the unusual stunt and that they would highly consider using the contest as a means to select more bands for this year's roster and perhaps the rosters of the years to come._

_So, dear readers, a new front has opened in the great battle of summer. In the next few months, the internet will become the battlefield for these hopeful artists where their music and honor will be pitted against that of the thousands of others. It will be a spectacle to watch as the entire nation uses the internet to take it to Natsufest! Support your favorite artists and cast your votes! The fates of these aspiring bands are in your hands!  
_

_- Shinohara, Nat__suki/_篠原 夏希

* * *

"Senpai has outdone herself yet again…" I said as I passed the morning paper to everyone in the clubroom, "The organizers seem interested too! We've got a shot at this!"

"A nationwide competition, huh…" Azusa said I passed the paper to her and Ui, "This is exciting!"

"Isn't it?" Ui said with a smile, "I sure do hope we'll be able to win."

"Keep in mind though that there probably aren't a lot of spots left." Jun warned, "If worse comes to worst, Okaeri and the HTT might be competing for a spot."

"Is that a challenge Jun-chan?" Ritsu smirked, "Just because we're friends doesn't mean we will go easy on you lot!"

"We wouldn't have it any other way Tainaka-senpai." Francis grinned, "Bring it on!"

"Still, we do have to support each other." Yui-nee added, "We'll stand a better chance if we stand united."

"Of course we will, Yui." Mio-senpai confirmed, "We'll do everything we can to help each other out, but we will respect the outcome of the contest."

"I see times have changed." Sawa-chan said, watching us pass the paper around with folded arms, "If only we had that sort of technology in our time…"

"Well, we may have started a contest…" I said, "But the keys to victory here have not changed since then. Music and love will bring us there if we deserve it."

"Heh, I'll take back what I said earlier then." Sawa-chan smiled, "I wish you all luck. You have a chance that me and my band were never able to have – don't waste it."

"We won't."

Thus, the greatest battle of our two bands began – Hokago Tea Time and Okaeri! versus the world. This should be interesting.

**To Be Continued**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I decided to cut down on the Author's Notes section from hereon end and won't add any more for the following chapters. On a side note, Mugi's 'Oh, candy sprinkles!' came to mind after reading the works of Tastychainsaws. For those unfamiliar with them, Mugi does not swear, resorting instead to anything and everything short of a swear and cutesy. 'Oh, caramel cakes!' Something like that.**  
**


	17. The HTT and Okaeri! Versus the World

**Author's Note:** One last author's note before I stop making them once and for all - the disclaimers on any and all songs appearing in this will be that I do not own them and that I am borrowing and/or revising the lyric to fit the situation at hand. The Japanese songs turned into English are not necessarily direct translations but are more like interpretations of the author. These will be true unless otherwise stated that I own the particular song. Now that the legalities are over and done with, some announcements!

I have a poll in my account page about whether or not I should include links to the songs I had based the insert songs on and where I should put them.

Second, Happy New Year folks! May this be another creative and prolific year for fan fiction writers! Hurrah!

So here is Chapter 17! Hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 17**

"Ah, good afternoon Miss Kotobuki." A receptionist said kindly as the blonde haired girl walked into the foyer of the Kotobuki Corp tower in downtown Osaka.

"And good afternoon as well Ryoko-san." Tsumugi greeted with a smile, "Are my parents still busy?"

"They are, miss." The receptionist replied apologetically, "They're at the boardroom with the board of directors. Would you mind waiting here?"

"I don't mind." Tsumugi said, taking a seat on a nearby sofa, "I don't want to disturb anything important."

"Then would you like me to get you anything while you wait?" The receptionist asked.

"Some tea would be nice." Tsumugi said, "And some sugar. Don't forget the sugar."

The receptionist then got off her chair and promptly prepared the daughter of the company presidents her order. Tsumugi looked up from where she sat as she waited, seeing the boardroom through the glass-paneled walls.

There, she saw her father, a tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed man with thick eyebrows and her blonde breezy mother who, like her daughter, was perennially pleasant. The couple was standing before a panel of older men and women with an air of dignity about them. They were giving them a presentation of what seemed like a stock market index which was constantly inching up to the chart ceiling. Tsumugi obviously couldn't hear the presentation was about exactly, but the diagrams and charts were familiar to her and she understood that 200% growth was probably a good thing.

Her father then pressed a button on a small remote control and their presentation ended with the screen going to black. The board of directors of Kotobuki Corp then stood up and lauded the couple for what seemed to be yet another prosperous financial first quarter, making Tsumugi smile. Mr. and Mrs. Kotobuki saw that another person had been watching them from the first floor foyer and gave her victorious thumbs ups. The board of directors cleared the room Tsumugi's parents gestured their daughter to come on up. Tsumugi got up from her seat and went straight for the elevator to the fifth floor.

"Wait a sec Miss Kotobuki!" The receptionist cried out, but the elevator doors had already closed. "What am I going to do with this sugared tea?"

She sighed as she watched the elevator rise up the glass tube. She figured she might as well keep it for herself – she didn't want it to go to waste. Meanwhile, Tsumugi carried on to the boardroom which had been vacated completely save for her parents.

"Tsumugi, my dear!" Her mother called, speaking in English as she embraced the newcomer tightly, "It is always a pleasure to see you here."

"And it is a pleasure to see you too mother dearest," Tsumugi replied in English as well, "Father as well! I wanted to catch you before you leave for Kyoto."

"Indeed it is a pleasure. We haven't been able to see you ever since the corporation went national." Mr. Kotobuki added, "Have you been taking care of the house?"

"The house is fine, dad." Tsumugi reassured, reverting back to Japanese "Living on my own is tough, but it is a learning experience."

"That's good to hear." Her father said with a smile, "I'm glad you're becoming self-sufficient, dear. I shouldn't be surprised. Rio, Cape Town, Montreal – you've been there on your own. The old maestro says he thought you were a mature young lady with the way you handled yourself there."

"Did he now?" Tsumugi said amused, "Well, dear parents, you will be able to see it for yourself when we go to San Francisco. I'll show you how much I've grown!"

"We will look forward to it, dear. We're letting the company handle itself just for that." Mrs. Kotobuki said, "Anyways, what was it you wanted to ask of us, Tsumugi-chan?"

"Ah, right!" The young girl gasped, "I came here to make a business proposal!"

"A business proposal, huh?" Mr. Kotobuki said with intrigue, "What sort of deal are you hoping to strike, young lady?"

"I seek a lend-lease agreement between Kotobuki Corp and the Light Music Club." Tsumugi said in a businesslike tone, "I request rights to use the company's recording studio downtown."

"You mean that studio the company acquired last quarter?" Tsumugi's mom said, asking for clarification. The blonde-haired girl nodded in agreement.

"Well, we haven't had much use for that place recently. That acquisition turned out to be more of a liability than an asset…" Mr. Kotobuki said considering, "Very well then – permission granted. You and your friends are doing this for that Natsufest event I've been hearing a lot about recently, I presume."

"Yes we are! Thank you very much!" Tsumugi said happily

"There is one condition I would like to add to this agreement, however." Mrs. Kotobuki said, "It would be nice if we could get to meet those friends of yours sometime. You've told us stories about them, but I don't believe we have ever met."

"Very well then." The girl said eagerly, "I'll arrange something as soon as I can! The next time you visit Osaka then?"

"Maybe earlier, my dear." Mr. Kotobuki said, "I have an itching suspicion we will be able to see each other sooner than August – considering your bands win that contest, of course."

"Ah, of course." Tsumugi chuckled, understanding what her father meant "Hopefully we'll win. Satoshi-kun and Riichan have been putting a lot of effort into their bands – I wouldn't be surprised if we both made it!"

"Yes, always think positive." The mother encouraged, "So we have a few hours before our long distance train to Kyoto. Would you like to have lunch together, my dear?"

"That would be a great idea, honey." Her father supported, "Alright then, choose any restaurant you like, Tsumugi my dear. I'll have the chauffer drive us there in a jiffy!"

"Any restaurant?" Tsumugi said, rubbing her chin. Her mind conjured up a long list of gourmet restaurants she had eaten at in the city. Only one restaurant, however, piqued her interest at the moment, "I say Max Burger!"

The girl's parents looked at each other for a moment then laughed heartily. This was the first time they would ever eat at that restaurant. They knew that the restaurant wasn't exactly gourmet, but they thought it wouldn't be such a bad idea to give it a try. "Embracing opportunity" is the motto of Kotobuki Corp after all.

* * *

It was a fine late spring day in the city of Osaka as the sun shone brightly amongst the frolicking clouds and the peaceful blue sky. Birds were chirping in the nearby trees, mingling with the sound of the cars running gently down the road and a crackling that was starting to make me feel rather nervous about my back. Did Yui-nee really need to be eating crackers right now? I would have given this refreshingly wonderful day more appreciation if it weren't for the drums I was carrying on my shoulder.

"Ow, my back!" I grunted, feeling the weight of the drums take its toll the longer I carried them. "Sheesh, did we really have to bring all of it?"

"Quit whining Satoshi. This is a very important day so we need the whole set – the extra toms, high hats, everything!" Ritsu hushed, obviously pained by the rest of the drum set she carried on her shoulders, "Being a drummer doesn't only involve playing the drums – you have to be able to move your drums too!"

Easy for her to say… she only had the lighter toms and cymbals on her. They were much lighter than the larger pieces I bore.

"That would be true for the keyboardists too whenever there are gigs." Mugi-senpai agreed, carrying her Korg keyboard with her as well, "We're lucky that the live house the HTT frequents already provides the drum set and the keyboard, but the same isn't true at every venue."

"We have to learn to carry our own weight, boy." Ritsu said, adjusting the distribution of the weight on her shoulders, "If our bands reach Natsufest, we're to have a lot more carrying to do – get used to it!"

I turned to Francis to ask for support, but he just shrugged. He, like everyone else in the band only had light cases to lug around. Basses, guitars and the violin – they weren't weightless, true, but they were surely lighter and easier to carry than drum set components or the electric keyboard. I guess Mugi-senpai, big sis and I will get buffed out after Natsufest is over… if we go to Natsufest, that is. Whether or not that last particular would become a reality relied heavily on what we were going to do today.

The nine of us were standing outside a recording studio in downtown Osaka, one that was relatively near to Sakura-gakou and one that was owned by Kotobuki Corp. Wanting to be as early as possible, Ritsu and I called up our charges and told them to meet us at Sakura-gakou at 7AM. There were complaints here and there, most notably from Yui-nee and Jun, but they came roughly on time. Dismantling the drum set into barely portable pieces and collecting the keyboard, we trekked on over to the recording studio to find out that we were still early. Ten minutes and fifty-nine seconds early, to be exact.

"Businesses my family corporation manages have a strict operational code, such as when to open." Mugi-senpai explained, "It's still 7:49AM. They'll open at 8AM sharp."

Not wanting to break our backs while waiting for opening time, Ritsu and I set aside the drums on the sidewalk and did some well deserved stretching.

"Satoshi-kun, Ritsu-nee." Ui then said, handing me and my sister a bottle of water each, "It's not yet summer, I know, but it's best to stay hydrated. We don't want heatstroke to claim the two of you before we've even begun."

"Thanks Ui, but you don't have to worry about us." Ritsu reassured, popping the cap off her bottle, "It will take more than heatstroke to bring a Tainaka down! It's Natsufest or bust, right?"

"Right. Then it's off to Budokan." I added, taking a big gulp of the cool water, "I… we, won't stop till we get there, Ui. You can count on that!"

"Indeed." Ui said happily, "I look forward to performing alongside everyone when the time comes!"

She then went off to where Azusa and Jun were and chatted with them on a nearby bench. Azusa had her guitar out to pass the time and the two girls sat with her as she showed them something she had learned recently – a common occurrence in the Sakura-gakou music room. This time though, Azusa seemed to be psyching herself up for today. She was technically going to compete with her two closest friends, both of whom are guitar players like her, in the video-making contest. Ui seemed eager to take her on.

Beside them, Mugi-senpai was on her cellphone, presumably asking someone to let her bypass the corporate operational code. I couldn't make out exactly what she was saying, probably because she was speaking in Finnish, though the slightly worried tone in her voice told me that negotiations weren't going well. Her family valued discipline and rule of law as Francis would tell me every so often. He learned this after Mugi's parents picked her up at Narita airport after the Philharmonic's Montreal concert and dragged him along for dinner. He also learned that his table manners, both Western and Japanese, were sub par. Mugi-senpai still teases him about that and he vowed to change their impression of him the next time they meet.

Speaking of Francis, he was hanging around Mio-senpai more often nowadays. Even now in this heat, they were standing together under the shade of a tree by the sidewalk. The half-Canadian seemed to be giving her yet another one of his countless anecdotes and the bassist just listened attentively. They seemed to be getting along quite well, I told her, and Ritsu agreed.

"Heh, just look at those two lovebirds over there. They sure are getting along fine." Ritsu laughed. After composing herself though, her tone changed to one of mild suspicion. "Hmm… it's not that I have anything against them being together and all, but I didn't expect these two to end up together. You know what I mean?"

"Hmm? What makes you say that?" I asked, "They're both intellectuals and they have some common interests. They're musicians too, so that's plus points for them."

"I know what you're saying, but I can't help but feel like they rushed into it." Ritsu said, putting the cap back on her bottle, "Mio never really expressed interest in guys."

"Is that so?" I asked, acting as surprised as I possibly could.

"I remember this one time I saw a really hot guy at the mall." Ritsu continued, "All the girls were checking him out. I err… was observing him myself…"

"Don't lie sis, you have a penchant for stalking guys."

"Shut up! He was cute!" Ritsu argued like some American girl infected with the Bieberic plague, "Isn't that what all normal girls do anyways?"

"Liking guys, sure. Stalking them, hopefully not." I laughed, "But let's talk about that later. What happened?"

"Ehem…" Ritsu said, getting back to her story, "As I was saying, there was this guy at the mall who was smoking hot and, gosh, that Mio didn't even take notice. He was even smiling at her, ignoring the totally beautiful me for Mio. You know what she did, dude? Mio sat there like he was just some average Joe!The guy started feeling awkward after a while and just left. Can you believe it?"

Remembering what I've been through with Mio-senpai, that scenario was rather easy to imagine. She might have been distracted by the girls there… or maybe even by my sister. That thought brought chills up my spine.

"But what makes you think these two rushed it?" I asked, "They have known each other ever since the great merger."

"I dunno." Ritsu said scratching her scalp as if scraping it for answers, "I always thought that he and…"

"Yeah?"

"Never mind. Just talking to myself back there." Ritsu said sticking out her tongue, "Anyways, I think they're about to open the doors. Time for us to pick these drums up again."

"Fine…" I groaned, hoisting my share of the drums over my shoulders again, "Let's do this!"

The doors opened soon enough and the manager enthusiastically welcomed us into her studio. She apologized for keeping us waiting and asked us how she would be of assistance. Mugi-senpai then stepped forward and asked for the main recording studio. The manager hesitated for a while, but once she realized she was dealing with the daughter of Kotobuki Corp's presidents, she fished out a set of keys and gave it to her without another word. She then hastily led us to the main studio and let Mugi-senpai do the honors.

"Whoa…" Ritsu moaned as we entered the studio, "This place is legit."

Indeed it was. The room that came to greet us behind the door was equipped with the fanciest audio equipment most of us have ever seen; a top line mixing console, a multi track recorder… the works! Access to all this stuff and the comfy discount Mugi-senpai got to rent the place was a rising artist's dream. The high quality tracks we'd be able to make with this would also be one of our trump cards in the battle for Natsufest.

As much as we would like to admire the studio further, the drum-induced back pains Ritsu and I were feeling compelled us to set up as soon as possible. We laid down our load and reassembled the drum kit in the studio and Mugi-senpai set up her keyboard as well. Mio-senpai, Francis and Azusa checked the cords and the amps, Jun and Yui-nee tested the microphones and Ui readied her video camera and a tripod.

"Good to go." Ui said, making sure that the camera covered as much of the room as much of the performance area as possible, "So shall we get started then?"

"We will in a moment, Ui-chan." Ritsu said folding her arms, "First, I think it would be nice if everyone knows our plan for today. Since we're all in this together, we might as well be on the same page in this matter."

Everyone nodded in agreement and we came together in the studio control room for one last team huddle.

The Natsufest video-making contest, as Ritsu would tell us, became official recognized by the Natsufest planning committee roughly two weeks ago and the response of the amateur bands throughout the country has been swift. Nearly a thousand videos have already been submitted the committee's contest page on BookFace and like buttons have been clicked almost endlessly. Naturally, this was a disadvantageous position since we were basically submitting our entry late. However, we did have our trump cards lined up in our favor. Ritsu and I weren't about to start a fight we didn't think we would be able to win.

Thanks to Francis and our senpai from the Press Club, both of whom were working for the local newspaper, there was a lot of hype in the area for our upcoming entries. Paired with the publicity we gained from the Winter Music Festival, the whole prefecture was practically reserving their vote for the HTT and Okaeri. The payoff would be huge but the expectations would be sky high.

That being said, we would have to make our entries as good as possible. We didn't want to cause a commotion just to disappoint, after all. Ritsu and I have crazy inflated egos – mediocrity is a total no-no for us Tainakas! To be able to do that, we were going to make high quality recordings of our songs then use that for our video. Unlike the other entries, generally little more than a video recording of the band playing the song, Ritsu and I were planning something catchier. Blame it for watching too much Oreimo, but Ritsu and I decided to make it feel like an anime opening song complete with credits and snippets of our daily activities, except that we were going to be using the full length version instead of a TV-size one. We didn't want our entries to be known as the oddly shortest ones in the contest.

'If Kyoto Animation were to make an anime about your band, what kind of opening would you like to see on TV?' That was the question we kept in mind when chopping up the video clips Ui had been gathering, arranging them into a rough montage and sanding it with some awesome, sweet transitions and effects. Add in the high quality tracks to the mix and we really have a shot at taking the prize!

"Alright then," Ritsu said, finishing our briefing, "now we have to see who gets first dibs at the studio!"

She then clenched her fist and aimed it at me as if asking for a duel. I was more than happy to oblige. It would be the most important rock-paper-scissors match I would ever play in my life… and Ritsu ended up winning. Cheering enthusiastically, she and the rest of HTT stepped into the studio, closed the sound-proof door and prepared to play their song. In the meantime, Ui commandeered the camera while the shop manager handled the mixing console. Francis, Jun and I drew up some seats and watched the HTT from behind the glass.

"Testing, one, two, three. Okay!" Yui-nee said, giving the microphone one more try as she strapped Guitah over her shoulder, "Our song for today is Cagayake GIRLS!"

* * *

**Cagayake! GIRLS**

**Musicians: Yui Hirasawa (Gt-1, Vo), Mio Akiyama (Ba), Ritsu Tainaka (Dr), Tsumugi Kotobuki (Ky), Azusa Nakano (Gt-2)**

* * *

_(Chatting now) Hey, it's really lively - it's never ending girl's talk!_

_We can't wait for the bell to ring at the end of class!_

_Though we may be late, leaving early is a no, no, no!_

_We'll go out and study hard after school!_

…

A lively instrumental followed the opening seamlessly, led by Yui-nee's guitar and Ritsu's drums. They've already seen the montage Ritsu and I made a couple of times so their timing to the video was nearly perfect. Mio's bass then set in with Mugi-senpai's keyboard and Azusa's second guitar and the rest of the song was underway.

…

_There's no stopping this heart of mine,_

_It's full-throttlin' every time!_

_We've all got our dreams and desires,_

_All wrapped in ribbons, hey ain't that nice?_

…

_We'll get better, we guarantee!_

_We're not lazy, we're lively and free!_

_We'll show the world just what we can do,_

_We'll sent our love out over to you!_

…

_If we cut our skirts a bit,_

_Then, hey, maybe we could fly!_

_Further out than yesterday_

_An octave higher in this song we call life!_

…

_(Jumping Now) Hey it's really beautiful; the never ending girl's life!_

_We're always looking forward to that daily live!_

_I don't want to miss it, not attending is a no, no, no!_

_We'll shout with all that we've got! (WAHOO!)_

_Hey, it's truly splendid; our never ending girl's song!_

_The afternoon tea for us is just right!_

_We know life is hard, but hey, we just won't give up (Here we go!)_

_We'll just go and sing for you after school!_

…

Back in the control room, the manager sat before the mixing console with her jaw dropped down to the panel. Not only was the daughter of the company president that owned her studio performing well, she was performing with the premier band of the Western Osaka district. She didn't recognize the members of the HTT until they actually played. She told the rest of us there that she didn't expect the HTT to be an amateur band – she thought they were already backed by a recording label. Both the HTT and Okaeri had a long way to go before that even happens, and we didn't' want to be sell-outs either

The instrumental then ended and the manager got back to manning the console.

…

_We live lightly everyday_

_Smiling brightly whatever we face_

_There's more to life than equations and arcs,_

_I'll give them a lesson with my own guitar!_

…

_My feet take me where I want to go,_

_Where that is, I don't really know_

_It's like strumming an unfretted bar,_

_The tabs are all in your heart!_

…

_When I cut my hair today,_

_I'll part it to the side,_

_Cause no matter what we face,_

_I know that things will be alright!_

…

_(Jumping Now) Hey it's really lively – it's never ending girl's talk!_

_We can't wait for the bell to ring at the end of class!_

_Though we may be late, leaving early is a no, no, no!_

_We're here to study and enjoy! (Enjoy!)_

…

_Hey it's truly splendid – the never ending girl's song!_

_The afternoon tea for us is just right!_

_We know life is hard, but hey, we just won't give up! (Here we go!)_

_We'll just go and sing for you after school!_

…

Then came the solo parts, the time when each member said their names as they had a few free bars to use as they pleased. I still remember the original version of this when it was only Ritsu, Yui-nee, Mio-senpai and Mugi-senpai doing the solos. Now that Azusa was a member of the HTT, they've been having trouble finding a way to integrate her into that little gimmick of theirs. In the end, Mugi-senpai let Azusa have her spot and she settled to be the last without any solo at all.

"A guitar solo is better than a keyboard one, I guess." She told everyone. Azusa hesitated to accept, but Mugi-senpai insisted. Thus, we have the newest version. Nonetheless, it was still a great song and Azusa was a monster when it came to guitar solos. My fingers would probably snap off if I even tried to do what she does in that solo… I'll leave Ui to avenge me on that front then.

…

_It really is an endless loop,_

_Our lives go down, up, down then up,_

_But when it comes down to it_

_We just have to look up, up, up and up!_

…

_Laughing as the years roll by_

_Never getting older_

_That's the best way to live life,_

_Always happy, always smiling, is it not?_

…

_Hey, it's really beautiful; the never ending girl's life!_

_We're looking forward to that daily live!_

_I don't want to miss it, not attending is a no, no, no!_

_We're shouting out with all we've got!_

…

_Hey, it's truly splendid; the never ending girl's song!_

_The afternoon tea for me is just right!_

_We know life is hard, but hey, we just won't give up (Here we go!)_

_We'll just go and sing for you after school!_

…

_"So shining, shiner, shinest; girls be ambitious and shine!_

_shining, shiner, shinest; girls be ambitious and shine!_

_shining, shiner, shinest; girls be ambitious and shine!"_

* * *

"And that's a wrap!" The manager called out, ending the recording and giving them a thumbs-up. Ui, Francis, Jun and I were still entranced by the powerful performance they delivered. However, by no means were we scared or disheartened. We looked at each other, nodded knowingly then marched into the recording room to take their place. Mugi-senpai collected her keyboard and the second guitar amp was thrown back into storage – an acoustic violin doesn't need a guitar amp after all.

"Everyone!" Ui said as she stood before the microphone, "Okaeri has a special surprise for all today!"

"What sort of surprise?" Yui-nee asked from behind the glass, her query nearly inaudible thanks to the excellent soundproofing.

"Satoshi-kun and I finished our second song! It's going to be our entry piece!" Ui continued, "Wing your way!"

Hitting the overdrive button on her amp, Ui started the song with a powerful wail and the rest of us followed her lead. We had only practiced this song in secret about three or four times but we felt like we could handle this. Go big or go home, people! Here we go!

* * *

**Wing Your Way**

**Musicians: Ui Hirasawa (Gt, Vo), Satoshi Tainaka (Dr), Jun Suzuki (Ba), Francis Suzuki (Vi)**

* * *

_My beating heart,_

_It refuses to stop!_

_It beats faster as we fly,_

_Diving out into the blue sky!_

…

_We've come so far,_

_Why should we stop?_

_We haven't reached our goal yet!_

_To think we already have is nonsense!_

…

_While there are dreams,_

_That you and I still strive for,_

_Then just go!_

_Run and don't look back! Take flight! Come on!_

…

_Don't care if we're reckless!_

_Don't mind if we look bad!_

_Just keep on pushing forward,_

_Give yourself a chance! Let's go!_

…

_Say that you believe in yourself!_

_Love will guide us through it!_

_Go and break out of that shell!_

_Come on! Become a star!_

_Shine brighter for all to see!"_

…

Though we didn't see it clearly, Ritsu and everyone else were cheering for us. They jumped up and down as if they were in a concert and were having a lot of fun watching us. The song we were playing was definitely heavier than Oui! Ai Kotoba or Waiting on the World to Change with Ui leading on overdriven power chords and Francis playing the violin as if it were the second guitar. Seeing them like it so much was an encouraging sign and it fired us up even more.

…

_Just keep this in mind_

_If you lose your wings_

_Or if ever they should break,_

_The sky is not the limit!_

…

_Carry on,_

_Don't you just stay there wingless._

_Don't give up_

_Get on your feet and run, with all you have! Listen!_

…

_Who cares if we fall,_

_As long as we keep going!_

_Side by side, we'll make it!_

_Love is, all we need!_

…

_The path ahead may be rough,_

_We may even stumble!_

_But still we'll march on regardless._

_We'll chase that bright dream cause' we believe!_

…

The four of us were having so much fun that we almost forgot about the bridge. I slowed down the tempo a bit to prepare for it and everyone followed in suit. Playing like this felt right, as if we had found our niche. Ui was skeptical at first, going for a heavier sound than we had started with but it grew on all of us and it felt natural. Ui even learned to like the overdrive again – the last time she had used the overdrive was when she and I played Fuwa Fuwa Time at the Cultural Festival.

Despite that, Ui's voice was still the icing on the cake. Though the tempo was faster than she had gone accustomed to, her voice was clear as a bell and not a word was mispronounced. The vocals were clearly her strongest point and the guitar wasn't far off either. At any rate, this was the direction we were going to bring Okaeri towards.

…

_If we just try to keep things to ourselves,_

_And keep them safe from ever falling out,_

_Then we will find that nothing has changed_

_We'll stay here on the ground. We'll never catch our dreams!_

_So, be more!_

…

_Don't care if you are reckless!_

_Don't mind if you look bad!_

_Just keep on pushing forward,_

_Give yourself a chance! Let's go!_

…

_Say that you believe in yourself!_

_Love will guide us through it!_

_Go and break out of that shell!_

_Come on! Become a star!_

_..._

_Every time you stumble,_

_Get back up as fast as you can!_

_Remember that dream we have,_

_Come on! We're almost there!_

_Continue to shine!_

_And be the brightest star in the sky!_

* * *

"So... how did we do?" Ui asked with mild concern, "I hope we did alright..."

"Alright?" Jun laughed, "You've got to be kidding me Ui! You were amazing out there!"

"You think so?" Ui said, scratching her head shyly

"Ui-chan..." Yui-nee moaned, walking weakly into the recording room, "Wuhuhu~, teach me how to sing like that..."

"Aww, you're flattering me onee-chan." Ui chuckled, "I still have a ways to go to catch up to you or to Mio-senpai."

"But honestly Ui, that was some wicked singing." Ritsu said in a serious tone, "Both our bands did well today - we're sure to catch the attention of those Natsufest people. We'd live up to the hype too. Thank goodness."

"That's true. So I guess we're done here then." I said stretching a little bit, "We ought to be heading home now."

"Uh, Satoshi-kun..." Ritsu reminded bitterly, "We still have to bring this set back to Sakura-gakou..."

The mere mention of carrying those drums made my shoulders sore again. I guess I'll be getting myself some ice packs later at home... Ah well. Ritsu and I halved the drum set to carry it back to Sakura-gakou. Ah well, like Ritsu said, I might as well get used to it. We paid for our session, had our tracks saved on a flash drive and we were on our way to Sakura-gakou.

We deposited the keyboard and drum set in the music room and everyone parted ways. It was a Saturday after all and everyone had their own plans for the day. Ui and I however decided to stay at the Music Room for a while. I threw myself into the couch while Ui walked on over to the large fish tank where the newest member of the Sakura-gakou Light Music Club, Ton-chan, was swimming happily.

"Hey Satoshi-kun." She said as she watched the turtle swim idly through the recently filtered water, "Have you ever thought about what will happen in the future?"

"Depends on how far out I'm looking." I said, resting my back and sinking into the couch, "I try to guess what my mom's going to cook for dinner often. I try to guess what sort of questions my teachers will ask in the next quiz too… Do you mean that sort of stuff?"

"No, no." Ui laughed heartily, "I meant the future, future. About the Light Music Club… about Okaeri… about us."

"I think about that all the time." I said honestly, closing my eyes to imagine the future, "I'm quite the worrier, you know. When the tension builds, my subconscious summons Freud and my life starts to feel like a crackfic."

"I sort of remember that." Ui said with a smile, "He had a field day with that, I recall."

"Haha, yes. Things have gotten better ever since you became my girlfriend though." I said in an appreciative tone. "Looking at it that way, I'm not too worried about the future. Like the song goes, love will guide us through whatever life throws at us. We'll be fine as long as we're together."

"I think the same way, Satoshi-kun." Ui said, joining me at the couch and embracing my arm, "You know, I had this dream last night."

"Go on." I said, sitting upright and holding her arm as well.

"It was a vague dream. I couldn't really make much out, but it seemed like a concert." She said, slowly piecing together what she had seen, "It was at the Budokan, I think. The place was filled to capacity and the crowd was huge and lively. The lights were bright too… so bright that I couldn't make out all of the faces of the people on stage, but there were four of them. One was singing and had a guitar. Another was on the bass. A third was playing the violin. The last was the only face I could recognize – it was you playing the drums."

"Budokan, huh? Really?" I asked in surprise

"Yes, Satoshi-kun." Ui said with a nod, "We were performing in Budokan! It might seem like a far off dream, but I believe that if we stick together, we'll reach it. We'll turn that dream into a reality."

* * *

One week later...

"Turn on the radio, quick!" Ritsu demanded, pointing to the small set they had found along with the junk in the storage room, "I don't want to miss that announcement!"

"Hold your horses Ritsu…" Mio groaned, pressing the on button lightly, "What station?"

"95.7 News!" Ritsu said, "Come on! Come on!"

"What are you so psyched about, sis?" I asked. Francis and I had just arrived from Osaka West so we didn't really understand what was going on.

"They're announcing the winner of the video contest!" Ritsu said, "Have you forgotten already?"

"Argh shoot, it is?" I gasped, "Darn!"

"And the results are in!" The newscaster announced, "The polls for the Natsufest Video Contest on the popular networking site BookFace have officially been closed. The moment of truth has arrived for the thousand or so hopeful bands that have participated."

"This is it! This is it!" Yui-nee squealed, unable to stay in her seat for more than fifteen seconds, "Turn up the volume!"

The newscaster then went on to announce the top five of the contest in ascending order. The fifth was a popular band from Hokkaido with roughly 60,000 likes under their belt. The fourth was from Sapporo, sporting about 75,000 likes. The third was a Tokyo band with a whopping 122,000 likes.

"Too bad for them, eh?" Francis said, "There can only be one winner here…"

"At second place, with 127,500 votes!" The newscaster continued, "We have a band from the Western Osaka District, Osaka Prefecture!"

"Oh my gosh! That wasn't very far off from the 3rd place!" Ritsu said, nearly fainting at the news, "That has to be one of us!"

"If that is one of us…" I said in shock, "then the one they're announcing didn't make it…"

The nine people in the room held their breaths for a moment with this realization.

"Second place goes to the band Okaeri!"

Then I felt dizzy all of the sudden.

"The first place in the Natsufest video contest of 2011 is also from the Western Osaka District! It is the band Hokago Tea Time with an overwhelming 250,000 likes!"

The rest of the school, most of whom were also tuning in to the radio, exploded with cheer.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man!" Ritsu said in absolute delight, "We're going to Natsufest! We're going to Natsufest! We're…"

She then saw the somber look on my face and toned down a little.

"Hey Satoshi-kun…" she said patting my shoulder, "We both fought well…. I guess…"

"Just to inform you folks," the newscaster then said, "as a special promotion from the Natsufest Planning Committee itself, the top five will all be assured a slot in Natsufest 2011. Congratulations to our top five, and a reminder to those bands that were not able to make it, don't give up and keep on trying. If there's a will, there's a way!"

Now my dizziness was one of mixed feelings. Going from melancholy to sudden euphoria does this to people, I guess. I'm gonna have a headache…

"Did you hear that Satoshi-kun?" Ritsu said, pinching my cheek to keep me from dozing off, "We all are going to Natsufest!"

"Hurrah!"

"We made it, Satoshi-kun! We made it!" Ui said happily, kissing me on the cheek to make me feel better. I shook my head briskly to make sure that I wasn't dreaming then realized what had just taken place. Oh shit. We're going to Natsufest!

"Another round of tea for everyone, Mugi! And don't forget the sugar!" Ritsu said, "Now _this_ is a cause for celebration!"

Mugi-senpai then served us tea which we toasted for our amazing victory. Had the contest really been a 'there can be only one! *lightning bolt*' sort of competition, the HTT steamrolled over Okaeri. We'll get better though. We'll definitely get better!

"So would you look at that…" Ritsu said with a grin, going to the whiteboard marker and putting a large check mark over the word 'Natsufest', "One down, one to go! Budokan will definitely be within reach now!"

"That would mean we would have to step up our practices, Ritsu-senpai." Azusa noted, "We're entering the big leagues now, after all."

"Yeah!" Yui-nee agreed, "We need to have ice cream cake! And a refrigerator! We need to get a refrigerator!"

"That's not what I meant, Yui-senpai." Azusa groaned, "I say we have a summer training camp before Natsufest. It would do us a lot of good."

"I agree." Mio-senpai seconded, "It would also be the first time our two bands had one together. A week or two before Natsufest would be perfect."

"The Light Music Club's summer training camps, huh…" Ui said, fascinated by the idea, "I've always wanted to be part of one. Onee-chan tells me a lot of stories."

"Did she ever mention practicing at all?" Ritsu joked

"Be serious about this!" Mio-senpai roared, smacking my sister in the head

"Alright, alright." Ritsu sighed, tending to the lump growing on her head, "So where should we hold this camp?"

"We can hold it in one of my villas again!" Mugi-senpai offered, "Our Kyoto estate is quite close to the Natsufest site this year."

"Sounds good, Mugi." Ritsu said, liking the idea, "So is everyone down for a summer training camp come summer break?"

"Yeah!"

With that, our Natsufest campaign officially started and all systems were go. The only question that remained was this – how in the heck were we going to get there? We'll figure something out.

**To Be Continued**


	18. Natsufest Training 101

**Author's Notes:** Uber-long chapter warning! It's been a while since I got to writing seriously so I decided to pull out all the stops on this one. Grab some snacks and some drinks and you're good to go. I also added some chapter names just for the heck of it. Figured they were better than just Chapter 1-18 anyways. Hah. So here you go, Chapter 18! I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 18**

Thirty-three-point-five degrees Celsius on the mercury, sweat dripping down your brow like a faucet, watermelons selling like wildfire at the local store, long road trips to places one has never gone to before and a glaring sun that grinned as it watched all this transpire from the blue… If this scalding yet refreshing mélange wasn't a sign that summer was here, then I wouldn't know what the hell is.

It was the second week of July and a little over a week has passed since the end of the Spring term. That's right folks! Summer break, the event students around the world rejoice over, was here once again! And with summer comes that prestigious concert marathon known as Natsufest.

Ritsu and I still find it hard to believe that it even happened, but the HTT and Okaeri had won 1st and 2nd place respectively in the impromptu contest we had forced online. Our prize; performing in that music festival of music festivals alongside a host of other bands from all over the country and the world.

To prepare to do battle with the best of the best, the HTT and Okaeri were going to visit Mugi-senpai's villa in the Kyoto prefecture for a five-day summer training camp to polish our skills to sheen. This was going to be our first performance in an event this big and the Winter Music Festival wouldn't even come close to the real deal. That was no excuse to screw up our respective fifteen minutes of fame so the training camp seemed necessary for amateur bands like ours. Piecing together everything my sister has been telling me about the camps of Hokago Tea Time, I was a little bit doubtful about the potency of the said camps.

Contrary to popular belief (though it was kinda obvious), very little training actually happens in those outings and a lot of time is spent doing things that have nothing to do with playing music. A week long camp would then boil down to only a full day of practice leaving little changed aside from a few extra pounds gained. Maybe two days if Yui-nee was well supplied with ice cream… and if Ritsu resists the temptation to pull pranks on everyone. I used to think it was a waste of time, looking at it that way. I mean, with an itinerary that consisted of lazing around the beach and whatnot… how were we going to get better with that? Azusa and Mio-senpai, the more work-oriented members of the band, regretfully agreed with that harsh yet strongly logical opinion.

Nonetheless, this was a tradition of the Light Music Club for two years running. Being affiliated with them, we were obliged to come with them regardless. Also, It wasn't just the nine of us headed for Kyoto that afternoon though – we had some companions so it was bound to be an interesting meet. The three people travelling with us that day were Nodoka Manabe, Sawa-chan and our comrade-senpai Natsuki Shinohara, each of them with their own reasons for tagging along.

Manabe-sepai, the recently elected president of the Sakura-gakou student council, had been curious about the activities of the Light Music Club ever since it was resurrected a few years back. She dropped by the Music Room every now and then to check on them but figured that going with them to one of their fabled practice sessions and watching them at Natsufest would be the perfect opportunity to see the band at its best. I also had the feeling Yui-nee used a lot of convincing power on her too, so she couldn't refuse joining us on the trip.

Sawa-chan was there for a number of reasons. First and foremost, she was the instructor of the Sakura-gakou Light Music Club so she was obliged to go with them on trips like this. Second, she was already planning to go to Natsufest even before the HTT or Okaeri ever had a chance of landing a timeslot. Then, there was her intention to make good on her threats to Francis about messing with Mio-senpai in the slightest sense. I saw her packing a maid costume in the trunk of one of the cars we brought and she wasn't afraid to use it.

The third person was none other than our senpai-comrade from the Osaka West Press Club, Natsuki Shinohara. True to her desire to pursue journalism, she was here to cover Natsufest for both the West Press Club and the local district newspaper. She also seemed interested in devoting a whole column to the summer training camp prior to that. Also, like Sawa-chan, she was rather interested in the relationship of Mio-senpai and Francis. The only difference was that she had no intention to costume rape her comrade. She might write an article about it though, but I leave that decision to her. The mere prospect of my friend turning into a Mikuru at the hands of Sawa-chan was just plain creepy.

Aside from all their intents, purposes and underlying schemes, we brought them along out of necessity as well. We were going to be bringing a full drum set, a keyboard, a violin, two basses, three electric guitars as well as the luggage of twelve people with us after all so we needed to bring cars to take us there and bring us home. We didn't want to stuff all of that equipment into a high speed train or one of those bumpy rural road busses… and I guess having the extra company would be nice too. Travelling with all that stuff and all these people, we needed to bring three cars and those three were the only ones we knew with driver's licenses.

Manabe-senpai drove the first car with the senior members of the HTT. Sawa-chan handled the second one, driving for Azusa, Jun and Ui. The third one was driven by Natsuki-senpai and Francis and I were her passengers. Sawa-chan drafted the seating arrangements for this trip and I had a good guess as to why she chose this.

Under Sawa-chan's arrangement, the first car was to be full of Sakura-gakou seniors while the third car was to be full of Osaka West students, leaving Sawa-chan with Ui, Jun and Azusa, the prospective core members of next year's Light Music Club. They were going to be the successors of Ritsu, Yui-nee and everyone else after all. She must have wanted to know what sort of bunch she would be dealing with next year.

So in that order, the three cars sped through the northbound expressway into Kyoto, their speedometers constantly flicking over and under the speed limit. Though we had been travelling for a good two hours already, we weren't bored at all. It wasn't very often that we got to drive out of Osaka City, let alone the Osaka Prefecture and the sights we saw along the expressway, forests, rivers, mountains and all, were amazing enough to keep us looking out the windows like the kids we were. Ui would send me texts every time she saw something interesting too, so I never missed a thing.

Further on down the road, we happened to come across a rest stop by the expressway. We had passed a lot of rest stops earlier but this particular one was rather close to a nearby lake and had a scenic view and a convenience store to boot. Though we weren't bored, a lot of us were itching to get on our feet again and stretch for a little while. Driving for hours on end does take a lot out of you. Also, Yui-nee had been bugging Manabe-senpai about getting ice cream for some time now… figures. We took the exit, parked the cars out front and lumbered out of to breathe the fresh air.

Yui-nee was the first to get out of the cars, stumbling out of it and reaching for the sky with squirmy hands as if she were on the brink of death. I was a little worried for a while, wondering what could have happened to the brunette guitarist. Ui told me about her sister geting carsick at times, yes, but was she terminally carsick or something? She should have told us about that then! Just as I was feeling sorry for her, she then croaked out weakly,

"Iiiiiiiceeee creaaaaaam~"

Jeez. She had me worried over nothing.

Not wanting the lead vocalist and guitarist of the HTT to die of ice cream deprivation before the camp even starts, Ritsu, Mugi-senpai and Nodoka dragged Yui-nee to the corner store for some popsicles for her and for everyone else. As she was being dragged though, Yui-nee wore a devious smile on her face. Heh. She had been planning it all along. Same old Yui-nee. Anyways, that left the rest of us there to do as we pleased.

Mio-senpai and Francis were out on their own again, taking a stroll by the lakeside and acting like they were the only people in the world. Little did they know that Sawa-chan and Natsuki-senpai were watching them from behind the bushes… I should have seen this alliance between those two happening sooner or later. Ui, Jun, Azusa just watched all of this from the stone steps facing the lake laughing heartily. The three of them sat there on the steps, enjoying the breeze and waiting for the ice cream to come. Burying my hands in my trouser pockets, I decided to sit with the girls at the steps. Jun however wasn't very receptive.

"So what brings you here with us today Satoshi-kun?" Jun asked, wondering why I was hanging out with them all of the sudden, "Aside from Ui of course."

"What? I can't hang out with my own band-mates?" I asked, "Tell me why I shouldn't be hanging out with you guys."

"Uh, girl talk?" Jun said with a raised brow, "If you can handle that, then you're in, Satoshi-kun."

My face then soured. Out of the four members of Okaeri, Jun was the one I got along with the least. From the moment we started talking, I already sensed her wanting to use the gender card on me. It was only a matter of time… Seems she knows her counterarguments well, much like good ole France. It took some time to get used to that dude back in Middle School. Seems it will take a while to get used to being around his sister as well.

"She's just kidding Satoshi-kun." Ui chuckled, patting the steps next to her "You can stay with us. Besides, there's something the girls and I have been meaning to tell you about."

Something they've been meaning to tell me about? Trying to predict what they were going to say, I sat beside Ui and listened closely.

"Well you see Satoshi-kun," Azusa explained, "you do know that the three of us here are planning to continue the Light Music Club, right?"

"Of course." I said, "Ui tells me about that plan all the time."

"The thing is," Azusa said bashfully all of the sudden, "we're a little worried about that for the most part and... yeah..."

"Worried?" I asked, "Why would you guys be worried?"

"Hmm… it's just that we got used to being around Yui-senpai and the seniors of the club." Azusa replied, "We feel like we have really big shoes to fill, a legacy to continue… especially for me since I was already with them for over a year."

"Ah… is that so." I said rubbing my chin, "Well that can't be helped. It's not like you can keep those four from graduating and going to college now, can you?"

Azusa looked like she wanted to say something but withdrew her words midway. I spoke the truth after all – their graduation was inevitable. Ui and Jun, however, also seemed to share the sophomore's grief at the matter. The problem was bore more weight for them than I had thought.

The shoes they would have to fill were huge and it was obvious. They were a bunch of sophomores who would succeed seniors who have not only resurrected a club that was about to be disbanded but also brought it further than any of the former members had ever dreamed of taking it. They turned a fledging musical organization into a prefecture-wide sensation, for crying out loud! Even Sawa-chan and the Death Devils era didn't make it past Natsufest and the teacher's jealousy at that fact is only matched by her pride in having a hand in the HTT's success. Ritsu's batch had monumental accomplishments in their time in the span of three years whereas these three would only have one year to live up to all of that hype. However…

"Aren't you guys already part of that, though?" I asked, standing up from the steps, "Azusa-chan. You helped bring the HTT to where it is now and have had as big a role in that legacy as Ritsu and the other seniors."

Azusa jolted up as if surprised and asked if I really thought that way. I nodded to confirm.

"The same goes for you too, Ui, Jun. You two may not officially be members of the Sakura-gakou Light Music Club this year but membership is just a title." I continued, "What matters is that you practiced with them, stayed with them, performed with them… you're one of them too… Che Guevara was an Argentinean but the time he spent with the Castros and the Cuban revolutionaries made him a Cuban. If you look at it that way, then I'm pretty darn sure you guys have the same chance to do whatever my sister and the rest have done. It will all depend on how much love you really have for the club."

"And for best supporting actor, Satoshi Tainaka from the West Osaka District!" Ritsu then interrupted, handing me a popsicle stick, "That was some speech you had there, and your audience was into it too."

Turning to the three, they were clapping enthusiastically and Ui seemed to be on the verge of tears. Even Jun was somewhat moved by it. What do you know?

"Say, so if I'm the supporting actor… who's the lead actor and actress?" I asked as Ritsu handed out popsicles to the three, "I presume the lead actress is you."

"Hah, of course! You read my mind there little bro." Ritsu smirked, "The lead actor would have to be an awesome hot Hollywood Actor… DiCaprio, Pitt, Damon… guys of those caliber, of course!"

She then turned to the three girls and said,

"But what my little bro here was saying is true. I believe you three will make an excellent troika for next year. You may not know this but there are a lot of people expressing interest in joining next year recently so you'd have more talent than you'd know what to do with! Frankly, I'm jealous that you guys get to spend another year as the Light Music Club, but I wouldn't want to pass the baton to anyone else! And one year is a lot of time to do a lot of things. Look at what the nine of us were able to do in a year... with the help of everyone else, of course. Just keep the spirit and you'll raise roofs!"

"We'll do our best!"

"Ous~!" Yui-nee then cheered, raising a finished popsicle stick to the air, "Let's get moving now guys! Mugi-chan says we're gonna have dinner soon!"

Sigh… once Yui-nee was satisfied on the ice cream front, dinner was the next thing on her mind. Looking up to the sky, the sun was moving further our West and would be setting soon. Days were longer in the summer so it was later than we thought it was so we ought to carry on.

As we were getting back into the cars though, Sawa-chan asked for Mio-senpai's camera then got us to stay outside and gather in front of the cars. She then demanded that we posed for the camera, tapping her feet impatiently. Did she just take a triple-shot espresso or something? She flashed the camera and smirked.

"Got it."

"Eh?" Ritsu asked, "Got what?"

"Just look." Sawa-chan replied, showing us the pic. True enough, the eleven of us were there standing in front of our convoy but up in the bright blue sky was a biplane dragging a streamer that read 'Natsufest 2011'. It turned out to be a nice picture.

* * *

Half an hour has passed since we got back on the road again and we found ourselves on a rural route that didn't seem to seem to see a lot of traffic. Were we lost, perhaps? If we were, Manabe-senpai would have stopped but apparently Mugi-senpai told her to keep going. Having played a little too much Metal Gear Solid, I was silently hoping that there weren't any PMC soldiers waiting to ambush us there. I honestly didn't want to have to go Admiral Ackbar today. The grade was steep and the surrounding forest was thick so it felt like we were in some sort of South American forest reserve or something. Then, we reached a clearing.

Standing there at the end of the forest was a hacienda-type villa that looked out to the lake from atop a cliff, surrounded by whitewashed fences and well-maintained gardens. Though we were only a few dozen miles away from downtown Kyoto, we felt like we were in an entirely different country.

The three cars then drove around the villa's circular driveway and stopped at the front doors where a line of servants was waiting for us. As soon as we stepped out of the car, a handful of servants welcomed us with deep bows and promptly told Mugi-senpai that they can handle our luggage and equipment from here.

"So where are my dear parents?" Mugi-senpai then asked the butler.

"They had some meetings to attend in the Kyoto branch office, so they will not be back until later tonight." Replied the butler, "Fear not though, for I assure you they will be back by dinner time."

"Ara? Dinner isn't ready yet?" Yui-nee asked, her stomach grumbling. She must have thought that dinner would be ready the moment we arrived.

"It shall be ready in about an hour, once the master and the lady of the house return." The head maid told the messy-haired brunette, "We would be happy to serve tea and scones while you all wait though."

"Yes! Yes please!" Yui-nee squealed enthusiastically, "Tea and scones please!"

Was food always Yui-nee's highest motivator? Someone like her ought to give Maslow a run for his money. Anyways…

Led by the head maid and the butler, we entered the villa and were shown to the spacious living room area while the battalion of servants handled our things and parked the cars for us. In about a minute or so, all of us had a scone in hand and a teacup set before us - except for Yui-nee, of course. She had already eaten two scones and was reaching for her third.

"Mugi-chan! These are the best biscuits I've ever had!" Yui-nee praised, crumbs falling down from her lips, "They match the tea really well too!"

"Scones are popular at English tea parties." Mugi-senpai explained knowledgeably, "The host often makes scones that complement the tea they choose to serve or vice versa."

"It's like a mix and match combination then." Mio-senpai said.

"Something like that." Mugi-senpai said, looking at the hands of the grandfather clock in the corner moving well into 7PM. "Anyways, now that we've all had some tea, would you like me to show you guys around? We will be staying here for around a week and it's a pretty big villa…"

Somehow, she sensed that we were eager to explore this new place. Us looking around like lost puppy dogs from our seats must have given that away. Who wouldn't be in an exploring mood after coming to a place like this for the first time? We got up from our seats and Mugi-senpai walked us through the house.

The moment we started going around, we understood she wasn't kidding about the size of the place. I didn't know if it was because of the high ceiling, the proportionally tall two-storey windows or the Tuscan columns that lined the open-air walkways but this place felt huge! Had I stumbled upon this place by myself, I would have thought it was a South East Asian plantation house in the sense that it wasn't big but it felt spacious. Just like a plantation house, there was a lot of effort put into the yard that surrounded the house itself.

There was a gazebo around the back, surrounded by a Zen garden complete with a bamboo fountain and stone sculptures of a hare and a tortoise that was reminiscent of the ones in Sakura-gakou staircases. Apparently, Kotobuki Corp was one of the main sponsors of Sakura-gakou and the school, in turn, had the sculptures made for them.

"Speaking of tortoises…" Azusa said, looking at the tortoise sculpture fondly, "the headmistress herself said she would take care of Ton-chan while we were away. Isn't that nice of her?"

"Yeah." Jun nodded, "It would have been a hassle if we had to bring Ton-chan all the way here."

"Wait a sec Mugi-chan." Yui-nee said, "Didn't you say you used to have a pet turtle?"

"I did, and she happened to lay eggs." Mugi-senpai said with a smile, "Now I have pet turtles."

Not too far away, there was a rock pond fenced with bamboo where a handful of turtles were swimming happily, much to the delight of the girls. They squatted down around the pond and watched the turtles go to and fro in the water. Standing upright though, couldn't clearly see the turtles. All I could see was the sparkle of the setting sun and my own reflection.

"You have to be closer to see them." Ui said, calling me to squat beside her, "There. Doesn't that help?"

"Oh cool. Yeah, I see them now."

True enough, I could make out the turtles better now and instead of just my own, I saw everyone's reflection looking into the water. All of us looked older for a second, though it was probably because of the little turtles splashing around.

"Alright then, there's still quite a bit I want to show you guys. We can come back here every now and then." Mugi-senpai said, brushing the dust from her kneecaps, "It'd just be great to go around the house at least once before my folks arrive."

And so, we continued our tour around the Kotobuki family's Kyoto villa. Aside from the gardens around the house, there were some interesting things scattered around the yard as well. There was a fenced clay tennis court at one side of the house and a full-length basketball court at the other. Then, nestled in the folds of the house was an outdoor Olympic-sized pool. They were even constructing a stable and a mini-golf course further out the compound. This place was loaded with amenities and Mugi-senpai seemed rather enthusiastic about showing these to us for some reason… They were amazing amenities, the kinds I probably would never be able to have in our home in Osaka anytime soon, but I wondered why she was so giddy about them.

Coming back into the house, I could clearly say that the interior of the house was much quainter than the outside and was remarkably simple too. There was the living room, of course, and the kitchen-slash-dining room that wasn't different from the ones I was used to, save for the view of the pool, the Zen garden and the lake from the windows. The same was true for the bedrooms – homey, cozy and nothing too over the top. However, the only room that stood out in the villa interior was the music room which was well-equipped and was soundproofed as well. It was the room that had the most attention put into it, I guess.

We went on inside and to my surprise, our instruments were already there ahead of us. The drum set stood completely assembled in the center. The keyboard stood at its right with a piano chair provided by the servants. The guitars, basses were already out of their cases and sat snugly on guitar stands and their respective amps were ready for use.

"But wait a sec…" Francis said, looking around frantically ,"Where's my violin?"

"You mean Fraulein?" Mugi-senpai asked, calling the violin by its name, "She's over there. It seems that the servants put it next to my parents' string instruments."

True enough, 'Fraulein' was standing in the midst of a cello and a bass violin in a prominent spot at the far end of the room. Her bow leaned against her body in the same fashion as the other two instruments so Francis didn't recognize his own instrument immediately. Seeing that his violin was safe, the half-Canadian sighed in relief.

"She's Fraulein, huh." Natsuki-senpai said rubbing her chin, "That's German for 'Miss', isn't it?"

"Yeah?" Francis asked, "What about it?"

"That's quite a name for a violin… but I'm curious." She continued with intent, "Did you name her Fraulein with someone in mind?"

"Not really." Francis said plainly, "She's been Fraulein since I got her when I was twelve years old."

"Ah…" Ritsu said, catching on to senpai's train of thought, "If that's the case, why don't you change it to Mio now or something, ah? It might… _inspire_ you to play better. Heehee~"

"So that's where you guys are headed." Francis said, anticipating what they were trying to do, "I'd like to, but Fraulein will always be Fraulein to me. She will always have a place in my heart no matter what."

"You sound like you love Fraulein more than me." Mio-senpai then chuckled

"Hey, come on." Francis said scratching his head, "Love for a person doesn't necessarily compete with one's love for an instrument. Look at Satoshi and Ui."

Why are you using us as an example…?

"Those two love each other to bits, but they still love their instruments." Francis explained, "Satoshi cares for his sticks and the drum set the same way he cares for Ui and the same is true, I assume, when it comes to Tele."

Mio-senpai nodded as if getting a hold on his analogy.

"So this is where we're going to be practicing for Natsufest huh." Ritsu said, walking around the room one more time, "Everyone's expecting us to put up a show."

"And we will put up a show Riichan." Mugi-senpai said with fierce determination, "After we're done with our training camp, we'll be in tip top shape!"

There she goes again, getting all excited about the training camp. It was nice that she was all fired up about practicing, but something just seemed off. Before I could ask her about it though, a servant came into the room and summoned us to the kitchen. Mugi-senpai's parents had arrived and it was time for dinner.

* * *

We were led back to the open-aired kitchen where Mugi-senpai's parents were already seated. They stood up for a moment to exchange introductions with us before prompting us to take a seat at the dining table with them. They were, indeed, nice people; some of the nicest people we had ever met. They weren't like the stuck-up rich people that one often sees in the movies with superiority complexes and the whole slew of snobby rich people stereotypes. There was an air of dignity about them, but they were outgoing and were open to casualness.

They did have a tendency to talk in different languages whenever there was someone who understood. They would say something to Mugi-senpai fluent Finnish then to Francis in fluent English and naturally, I didn't understand a thing. Ui whispered to me that they were talking about the difference between eating with fork and knives and chopsticks. If Ui was able to decipher whatever they were saying, then I started to think that I wasn't paying enough attention to my English classes. Gonna hit the books the moment I get home then...

A Western-style dinner was then served and Yui-nee was absolutely delighted. With stars in her eyes, she pointed at every dish as it came to the table then struggled to call each by its English name. 'Masu Poteto' and 'Rosuto Bifu' aside, she was just being her normal amusing self and her eccentricity actually delighted everyone at the table. Ritsu even joked that she was practicing for the song 'Beef nochi Potato' and we couldn't help but laugh. Yui-nee then looked at us innocently and wondered why Ritsu and I were laughing. Ah, Yui-nee, if only you knew how amusing you are.

After finishing the entrée, Mr. and Mrs. Kotobuki started talking with us about our upcoming battle at Natsufest. Being people with strong musical roots, they loved talking about music and were very supportive of our cause. It must have been one of the reasons they allowed us to use the recording studio in the first place and we made sure to thank them for that.

They said all of us were skilled with our respective instruments but specified that the Hirasawa sisters were marvelous in their singing. Yui-nee and Ui humbly accepted the complements but did say that they still had room for improvement.

Satisfied by their response, they then got down to a more pressing matter – our five-day stay. They laid down the house rules we would have to follow during our stay such as no running around the halls, no horse-playing near the pool and whatnot. We were also asked to clean our own rooms and to help out in the kitchen or with the groceries as needed. Rich as they were, the Kotobukis didn't believe in leaving everything to their servants and that meant that we weren't going to be overly-pampered guests. Fine by me. We working class people are used to taking care of ourselves and our surroundings anyways.

Then, they got to the matter of activities Mugi-senpai had drafted up with her parents for our training camp. It was the reason why Mugi-senpai had been so intent in showing us the amenities earlier… she _was_ scheming something after all. It was the perfect time to go Admiral Ackbar, but that wouldn't help anyone now, would it?

I turned to Yui-nee and Ritsu, hoping that this was something common in their old training camps. Judging by the frightened looks on their faces, planned activities weren't on their usual agenda. They would be as new to these activities laid out for us as the rest of us would and that thought wasn't very reassuring.

To our absolute horror, the battery of activities the Kotobukis had planned for the camp could be summarized in three words; Intense Physical Training. Every morning, we would all have to go jogging down a trail in the forest that goes around the villa - Twice. To top that off, we would have a different afternoon activity everyday; tennis tomorrow, basketball the day after and swimming on the third. It was a hectic schedule to say the least and I already felt my shoulders anticipating the inevitable shoulder pains that would ensue. I did talk about wanting more 'training' and less 'camp', but I didn't expect it to take place all of the sudden… be careful what you wish for indeed.

* * *

"Ready!"

5:59AM in the morning, the next day. The sun was barely up in the sky and the nine band members were assembled there in our track suits.

"Get set!"

Sawa-chan was posted at the front entrance with a stopwatch to determine our times, while Manabe-senpai and Natsuki-senpai were going to follow us on bicycle to keep us on the right path.

"Go!"

And we were off. Clumped together into our respective bands, we jogged at a normal pace but gradually slowed down over the course of the run. Neither team was particularly used to exercises that early in the morning. Most of us grew tired immediately slowing down from a jog to a mere walk. Everyone but Ui and Mugi-senpai, that is. Ui was the most athletic of us sophomores and Mugi-senpai had been running this course before and was used to the path. It didn't take long for the two of them to overtake the rest of us. Come to think of it though, the only time we were ahead of them was at the starting line. When we were panting on the floor to catch our breaths, the two of them just kept on going.

"This is a test of stamina, you guys!" Mugi-senpai called from down the path, "We need to have enough stamina to do successive performances in Natsufest. Playing under the hot sun or in the cold night needs a lot of stamina and endurance, so don't give up now!"

Try as we might to catch up with them though, we were only able to hobble back to the finish line. Downing the cups of sports drink Sawa-chan served us there, we wondered how long we would last. Tomorrow… we have to do better tomorrow. With only half an hour of rest, ripped our butts off from the benches and we trod over to the clay tennis court. We still had our next activity for the day before we get to practice; the miniature tennis tournament. The question now was would we even be able to practice after this? I'll leave that for later…

"It's going to be played in doubles, it seems." Francis said, noting the chalk board hanging on the umpire's seat. "You already know who you want to be paired with?"

"Ui, of course!" I said, "Do you even have to ask that question?"

"Sorry to burst your bubbles Satoshi-kun, Francis, but I've already picked the pairings for these matches." Mugi-senpai said, "Francis is paired with Ui-chan while Satoshi-kun is paired up with Jun-chan."

Jun and I looked at each other with absolute shock.

"WHAT?"

"This is going to be an exercise of trust between band members." Mugi-senpai explained, "The bass has to work well with the drum and vice versa, so their trust in each other must be solid. They have to know that they have each other's backs. The same is true for the two guitarists… or the guitarist and the violinist in Okaeri's case."

"B… But…"

"The pairings are the same in the HTT side, don't worry." Mugi-senpai reassured, "Azusa is playing with Yui and Mio is with Ritsu. Percussion versus the rhythm! It will be an even match."

"What about you Kotobuki-san?" Francis asked, wondering where she fit into all of this, "Who are you paired up with?"

"I'm going to be the umpire for this match, so I won't play in this round." She said, "I can join in after it's all done though. I might even challenge you to a singles match!"

Francis and I just sighed. I guess we had no choice but to go through with this. The matches would be divided into two rounds – an elimination round and a finals round. The band members would fight each other in the first round and the winner would face off against the winner of the other band in the championship round. Being paired up with Jun though, I wasn't too confident. I mean, of all the people... why did I have to end up getting paired with her?

"Hey, you… don't start going on a soliloquy trip like we've already lost." Jun snarled, gripping on to a tennis racquet tightly "Get your act straight Satoshi, we're on first."

"Yeah, yeah." I said, picking up a racquet as well. The two of us then took our places to face off against Francis and Ui. The moment Ui and Francis were granted service, Ui saw my face and was quick to catch my dissatisfaction.

"Satoshi-kun," Ui said with concern, "I could ask Mugi-senpai for a substitution…"

"Nah, it's alright Ui." I said shaking my head, "I'd have to learn to get along with Jun sooner or later. This is for the band after all."

"Glad you're taking this seriously." Jun said, a little more certain that I wasn't going to throw the game.

"Did you think I wasn't going to?" I asked with a raised brow, "If you know Ritsu, then you should know neither of us likes losing."

Ui then served the ball with a powerful strike that ran in between us. Jun and I then basically slammed into each other and our butts met the clay flooring.

"Fifteen-love!" Mugi-senpai declared, "Play on."

"Sorry about that…" I apologized, stepping back into my side of the court

"Tch. Don't apologize when you make mistakes." Jun said in a serious tone, dusting her leggings, "Just be sure to get back into the game. You're not gonna stop a performance to say sorry just because you missed hitting the snare once or twice, will you?"

Getting back on our feet, we prepared for the next Ui's next volley. Getting our bearings straight, I sent Ui's service flying back to the other side of the court with a well-timed backhand. Francis saw the ball hurtling towards him and he struck it with his forehand, sending it Jun's way. Excited by the heated action, Jun lost track of the ball and swung too late, letting the ball sail through us again.

"Thirty-love!"

"Argh!" Jun groaned, "I should have seen that coming…"

"Don't get over-excited whenever the pace picks up, Jun." I then said to our bassist, "You may not notice it, but you tend to speed up a little during the instrumentals and the rest of us had to adjust. Keep your cool and you'll stay in sync."

"Heh, touché Satoshi-kun. Touché. That's the leader Okaeri needs..." She smirked, "Comeback time, boss?"

"You don't need to ask, Jun. I'll cover the back court, you handle the front."

"Sounds like a plan."

We took our spots on the court again but were much more prepared this time. After a blitz of exchanges, we Jun and I were able to score a point with a timely backhand of mine. Jun scored in the next exchange too, bouncing the ball on the far line of the court where neither Francis nor Ui could reach it in time. We eventually ended losing the game to Francis' alertness and Ui's athleticism but we didn't feel defeated.

"High-five, bassist!"

"High-five, drummer!"

We even broke the ice between us and it felt great opening up to her and vice versa and Francis and Ui were happy for us. Mugi-senpai planned this well, I must say. In any case, Francis and Ui ended up winning it all, defeating Ritsu and Mio-senpai in a tough finals match. Mio-senpai's tactics and Ritsu's brute force were a deadly combination, apparently, but it wasn't enough to bring Francis and Ui down. Had Jun and I won, I didn't know if we would have stood a chance, but hey, the two of them won it for us.

"Okaeri wins this round, sis!" I said with a grin

"Oh-hoh, don't get too confident buddy." Ritsu said, "We'll have a more even playing field tomorrow. We'll see the better team there."

She and the rest of the girls then hit the showers to get ready to practice. I was just on my way to the guys' bathroom when I realized that I was the only one headed there. Francis and Mugi-senpai did have that singles game of theirs. Looking out the window, I saw Mugi-senpai serving up a service ace that brought the poor guy to his knees. Heh, he's getting owned out there. Sighing, I just carried on to the guys' bathroom to shower first. All that exercise was making my clothes all sticky and there was no way I was going to touch my drums in this state.

* * *

The next day, we had our morning run again at roughly the same time and it went a liiiitle bit better than the day before. By a little bit better, I mean we actually didn't stop to drop on the ground like last time in the middle of the first lap. We dropped in the middle of the second lap this time. See? Improvement! Of course, Ui and Mugi-senpai still blazed through the course like it was nothing.

We had our generously long water break again at the finish line then went over to the other side of the villa for four twelve-minute quarters of five-on-five basketball action. There are only nine of us competing there, you say? The solution to that was simple – the HTT let Azusa play for us and they drafted Manabe-senpai to the team. Natsuki-senpai, being the most experienced with the game, was the referee and Sawa-chan was the scorekeeper and announcer. She even had an electric keyboard hooked up to play some of those awesome basketball organ tunes. Tun tum tun! Tun tum tun! Tununu-tun-tum-tun! Nifty.

"Okay then, this will be an exercise of teamwork." Mugi-senpai explained, spinning the basketball on her finger with insane dexterity, "I also had Azusa-chan play for Okaeri so that it would be a sophomore versus senior bout, to spice up things a little bit."

"Heh, if only they set up our PE ball games like this, we'd be a lot more motivated to play." Francis whispered to me.

"Alright then." Natsuki-senpai said, asking for the ball from Mugi-senpai, "We have to assign positions; Center, Power and Small Forward, Shooting and Point Guard. Satoshi-kun, Akiyama-san, you guys are the tallest in your teams so you're both centers."

"Center?" Mio-senpai asked horrified, "Like the center of attention or something?"

"No, the center position." Natuki-senpai explained, "You'll be mostly responsible for defense."

Mio-senpai sighed in relief and senpai got back to assigning our roles.

"Suzuki-kun and Kotobuki-san are the PF's and Hirasawa-san and Manabe-san are the SF's."

"Uh, which Hirasawa are you talking about Shinohara-san?" Yui-nee asked innocently, "Wasn't Nodoka-chan on our team? I'm not going to be fighting against my own team mates, am I?"

"She was talking about me onee-chan." Ui chuckled, getting her sister straight

"Yup." Natsuki-senpai continued, "So Suzuki-san and Hirasawa-san, Yui this time, will be the SG's and Nakano-san and Tainaka-san will be the PG's."

"Ungh… why do I have to be so short…" Ritsu moaned, "It's unfair that guys are taller than us!"

"Hey, what can I say?" I shrugged, "I drink my milk. Do you?"

"And Ritsu-senpai…" Azusa mumbled, "If you're short, then what does that make me?"

"Eheh, sorry about that Azusa." Apologized my sister.

With our positions assigned, we prepared for tip-off and the game commenced along with Sawa-chan's announcing play by play commentary.

"And Okaeri! wins the tip off. Suzuki-kun catches the ball from mid air, secures it then takes it down the court. He tries to push through to the paint but there is some solid-D from Kotobuki. She won't give him any room to breathe! Here comes Akiyama with the support from the side and Suzuki-kun is double-teamed at the bassline! He passes it to Tainaka-kun who passes it to Hirasawa, Ui then to Nakano. Nakano dribbles, dribbles then cuts past Tainaka-san for the easy two! Okaeri two, HTT zero!"

Wow, she actually makes a good announcer. It sounded like the real thing.

"Tainaka-san gets the ball over to the other side and passes the ball to Akiyama near the paint. She tries posting up against Tainaka-kun but his defense is strong and will not budge. Akiyama passes to Manabe. Manabe passes to Hirasawa, Yui who almost fumbles the ball and Yui passes to Kotobuki at the corner line. Is she going for it? Yes! Kotobuki for a three, and it is good! The HTT takes the lead! Okaeri twelve, HTT fourteen! Go HTT!"

Though we sorta did know she'd have a bias to support. She also tended to play 'Defense' on the keyboard whenever we were on the offensive, so that was quite obvious. Nonetheless, it added to the atmosphere. This was Mugi-senpai's house after all and the HTT was the home team whereas Okaeri was the visiting team.

The four quarters of the game played our rather quickly and before we realized it, there was only thirty seconds left in the game. Francis and I, the defenders of the paint got into foul trouble down the stretch with our over-zealous attempts to swipe the ball from our marks so that gave the HTT an opening for assault. Mugi-senpai's sharpshooting, Mio-senpai's sweet mid-range J and the triangle offense of Ritsu, Manabe-senpai and Yui-nee proved to be a deadly combo, leaving us down four points with time for only one last possession. It was Okaeri ball, so we called for a time out to review our strategy.

"Alright team," I said, huddling together with them, "Down four, thirty seconds and we've got foul trouble. There's no overtime here, so we want to win this. Plain and simple. We need a three, quick."

"I can take it." Ui volunteered, "I'll go for a fast three but be ready for the rebound, Satoshi-kun, Francis."

"Of course." I said, "Then on the HTT's possession, we go full court press!"

"Full court press?" Azusa asked, unfamiliar with the term

"Pressure the ball from the inbound all the way to their paint. Don't give them an inch of space without resistance." I explained, "We'll try to go for the steal and a quick two for the win. Got it?"

"Yeah!"

"Let's show them what we're made of."

Breaking from our huddle, we got back to the court to continue playing.

"Suzuki-san inbounding the ball with thirty seconds left on the clock. She passes it to Nakano who sails through the half court mark easily with some cross-overs and… what a spin move there, leaving Hirasawa, Yui disoriented! She draws the double team and, oh! She passes it to Hirasawa, Ui at the three point line. The double-team left Hirasawa, Ui wide open and she fires! Bang! Big three-ball for Okaeri there folks, and they're just down one! Will they be able to pull off a comeback? Let's see!

Hirasawa, Yui with the inbound for the HTT, but what's this? Suzuki-san is flapping her arms around to keep Yui from passing. The other players are breathing down the necks of their marks too! Is this man-to-man defense? No! It's a dedicated full court press! They have to pass the ball soon if they want to avoid the 8-second violation… and there! Yui manages to pass the ball to Tainaka-san but Nakano will not let her pass through. Now the HTT risks facing the half-court violation. Tight defense as the clock ticks on here on the court folks! Locked solid!

Kotobuki moves up court to give Tainaka-san some room and Tainaka-san passes the ball to… wait! Intercepted by Suzuki-san, reading the pass perfectly! He passes it to Hirasawa, Ui for the jump shot and… it rattles in and out. Ooh… Too much pepper in that one… Five seconds left, I guess the HTT wins… But wait… Tainaka-kun sprints for the loose ball and throws it back up to the ring… and scores at the last second! Amazing play! Okaeri snatches the win!"

Ten-tem-ten-ten, Tem-ten! Never gets old.

"Two out of three events, dear sis." I said with a smirk, "How'd you like that?"

"Meh, basketball is a guy's game anyways. You and Suzuki-kun were both tall guys... a tad taller than all of us at least... but that didn't seem to make a difference." She said stubbornly, "And besides, you guys only won on the last second. I still take pride in keeping you guys under for three whole quarters. Mio even blocked you once, ha!"

"Don't remind me…"

We came together to shake each other's hands as was customary at the end of a game. Playing basketball with girls was actually quite fun, though I did notice Francis getting distracted every so often and I found it hard taking charges from girls or posting up on them as I normally would when I play against guys. Francis and I were two guys among seven girls (nine if you add our guests and ten if you even consider adding Sawa-chan… I advise you not to) and this was highlighted further the day after this.

* * *

Our third day started with the mandatory morning run which went particularly well. For once, we actually jogged through the whole course at least once this time and walked the rest of the way through. There was definitely some improvement, but the more important event of the day, the swimming event, was just about to start. Everyone was looking forward to it.

The afternoon activity was actually planned to be more of a rest activity than a competitive one, Mugi-senpai explained. We were going to be doing a few laps back and forth the pool but it wasn't as strenuous as, say, a laddered tennis competition or a full-length basketball game. Swimming in a refreshingly cool pool of water was a nice change too. The point of it all though was to improve our breathing which would mostly help the vocalists of the band. Improved breathing would give us more performance stamina too, I guess, so it more or less helped the rest of us as well. Breathing anything at all however was a difficult task for me and Francis, especially being in the midst of all these girls in swimsuits. The two of us were capable swimmers, but these distractions would be the hurdles we would have to jump over today.

Francis looked like a kid in the candy store while I felt like an older kid who did everything in his mental power to keep himself from looking around the said store… Thinking of just Ui didn't help either since that defeated the purpose. Her swimsuit suited her rather well and her… argh! Focus! This must have been the hardest test yet… Wanting to get this over with, Francis and I started our laps ahead of the girls, hoping to get in and out of the pool as quickly as possible.

The plan was to go freestyle all the way and to keep our heads in the water as much as possible, lifting it up only to breathe. The problem was that the girls were still hanging around the pool, so when we did lift up our heads, one of the girls would be in our sights. Our willpower wouldn't last long in situations like these. We finished one lap, but felt like we couldn't complete the other nine.

"I can't do this man…" Francis said, shaking his head wearily, "There are so many hot girls here…"

"No, be strong my friend!" I said, trying to encourage him, "Imagine that this is a performance and that there are hundreds… fine, thousands of bishoujos watching you and are cheering for you."

"Uh-huh…" Francis said half-attentively, his eyes lazily following Mio-senpai and Mugi-senpai who were walking across the poolside, "I see bishoujos alright…"

"Well, on stage, we have to stay focused on the matter at hand." I said, shaking his head away from the two sexy seniors, "A performance won't go well if girls distract us. We'll start sounding shitty if we let them get to us. We don't want to sound shitty now, do we?"

"Oh hell no!" Francis growled passionately, "That's it, let's do this!"

Kicking off the edge of the pool, we blitzed back and forth the pool, leaving a trail of mist behind us. Before we knew it, we were finished with our ten laps but we ended up getting tired as hell.

"W… we're done, right?" Francis gasped as we tried to catch our breaths at a corner of the pool, "Ten laps… done…"

"Technically, yes." Ui said, going to where we were with Mugi-senpai in tow, "But another point of the laps was to learn to conserve one's energy."

"Yeah," Mugi-senpai agreed, "You guys just spent it all in one big push and… Francis?"

Turning to where my friend was supposed to be floating around, there was only bubbly water. The dude had fainted.

"Oy, buddy!"

The three of us frantically fished him out of the water, afraid that he had drowned. His face however showed a strange mixture of fatigue and happiness. One usually feels a little better after exercise, but I think this was too over the top… Unless… Hmm… why do I have a nosebleed? Ah… now I get it. Damn, there _were_ a lot of hot girls here. I decided to get out of the pool before I get too lightheaded and before Ui could notice the driftwood.

* * *

Later that night, after having dinner and taking our evening baths, Francis and I retired to the room we shared in our villa. The two of us were tired from the day's activities as well as the practice we had right before dinner started. Our stamina might have been improving, but it would probably take a while to manifest.

"Oh man, this week has been tiring…" Francis moaned as he threw himself onto his bed, "You wouldn't know how bad my back feels right now. Tough playing a violin like that, dude… and my shoulders… ahhh…."

"But it was fun, wasn't it?" I said, laying down on my bed as well. "This whole week, that is."

"Hah, yeah, I guess you could say that." Francis chuckled, "Glad we showed the HTT who's boss in sports."

"Well, we had Azusa on our team in the basketball game yesterday… though Manabe-senpai was surprisingly good too." I said, looking idly up to the ceiling

"Ah well, we needed a fifth player anyways.." Francis said, "But yeah, I can see what you're talking about. With all that running, we'll be able to run the school marathon next month without a hitch. The track team will be surprised."

"Hopefully." I laughed, "This camp turned out better than I thought it would. But the swimming thing was a disaster for us."

"Tell me about it. it was unfair for us guys" Francis groaned, "Swimsuits, swimsuits and more swimsuits. It was like those preposterous beach episode in those animes nowadays. Thank goodness there was no fan service."

"You sound disappointed there, buddy. Were you expecting to see something?"

"Nah." Francis said, stretching in his bed, "Just because we're guys doesn't mean we're total horn dogs… maybe a little bit, but not totally."

"Yeah, and I already have my Ui so I'm not really looking at anyone else like that." I added

"Oh? How are you two getting along, by the way?" Francis asked with a hint of curiosity, "Same old, same old?"

"If you mean that she is still the center of my universe, then yes, it's the same as before." I said with a smile, "I wouldn't know what to do without her."

"Is that so…" Francis said, sounding a little hesitant all of the sudden, "Never got out of the starry-eyed lovers phase, eh?"

"Hopefully we can stay like that forever." I said closing my eyes, "But… why are you talking like that all of the sudden. Something up with you and Mio-senpai?"

"Between us? No! No… of course not." Francis said defensively, "I like her and she likes me. That's all there is to it…"

"And…?"

"Well… I just wish she'd open up to me more, you know." Francis said, "I feel like there's something she's not telling me… I just can't figure out what it could be."

"Heh, you're probably just used to talkative Mugi-senpai." I laughed, "Whenever you tell her one of your anecdotes, she counters with one of her own."

"Maybe a little bit, yeah." Francis said yawning, "maybe… I…"

"Maybe what?"

There was no response. Turning to my friend, he was already fast asleep. He looked like he was about to say something too… I wonder what he was trying to say.

"Whatever dude. Goodnight."

I turned off the lights and got into bed. Tomorrow was basically our last day here in the villa. The activities we had been doing had helped increase our stamina, true, but we still needed to get every bit of rest that we could.

Closing my eyes, my head sunk into my pillow and I envisioned the dream Ui told he she had. There it was, the mythical stage of Budokan with bright lights hanging from the ceiling and behind the stage. I saw the dream from the eyes of the boy behind the drums who was playing with the three companions Ui had described – a bassist, a violinist and a vocalist-slash-guitarist. However, there was a person in the audience who seemed different from the rest, but the bright lights made her face unrecognizable. But it didn't matter. With Francis, Jun and Ui at my side on stage, nothing else mattered.

Before I knew it, I found myself waking up the next morning to the sound of a soft voice, prodding me to get on my feet. Judging by how dark the windows still were, it must have been very early in the morning. Francis however was already up from his bed and in his track suit. After tying his shoes, he promptly headed on outside.

"What's going on, Ui?" I asked as the girl literally dragged me out of bed.

"Just get changed and come with me. You'll see." She said with a confident smile.

I got up from bed and changed into my track suit. I stepped out of the room where Ui was waiting for me.

"Let's go."

Taking me by the hand, she brought me out of the main villa building to the cliff overlooking the lake. Everyone was standing there facing the East, all of them sporting their running clothes. There, rising over yonder over the hills and the lake was the bright sun, turning the previously dark sky ablaze with light. It was the sunrise. Mugi-senpai had assembled us earlier than usual to watch the sunrise together and it was a soothing sight.

"So..." Ritsu said turning to all of us with a grin, "What do you guys say to one last run? It ain't our favorite activity of the day, but I'm pretty sure we're going to miss it."

With determination, all of us agreed and we went off to go around the villa circuit one more time. We were heading off to the Natsufest grounds first thing in the morning tomorrow so this was our last chance to run the course together. Rather than split up into two bands, we stayed together and jogged in formation. No one went ahead and no one got left behind. Being in each other's company, we didn't seem to get tired as easily and were even able to jog through the circuit. Twice. It was at that time that Mugi-senpai explained another point of this morning run.

"It was an exercise meant to stress the importance of solidarity in crises. We can get through anything as long as we stick together."

"Which is exactly what we're going to do tomorrow." Ritsu said, raising a fist to the sky, "Onwards to Natsufest!"

"Onwards to Natsufest!"

We were ready to take on the world.

**To Be Continued**


	19. We Are Travelers, Journeying Together

**Author's Notes: **Links to all songs are at the bottom of my profile page. Check them out if you want to listen as you read! Disclaimers from before remain effective here! I don't completely translate songs, I interpret them :D. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy Chapter 19!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 19**

"So, that's the last of it for me." Jun said, cramming in some clothes into her duffel bag, "Are you guys done packing?"

It was around 8:20PM in the Kotobuki family villa and Jun, Azusa and I were packing up our things, preparing to leave tomorrow right after breakfast.

"Almost." I said folding up some shirts and blouses atop my bed, "The laundry just finished a while ago, so I have a lot to fold."

A now empty hamper lingers in the corner of the room, previously filled with the laundry Mugi-senpai's servants had done for us. In the wake of the strenuous battery of activities Mugi-senpai had in store for us that week, we found ourselves with a lot of laundry. Thank goodness they did it all for us.

"Fold?" Jun asked, "Why do you have to do that?"

Of course, in line with Mugi-senpai's Non-Pampering policy, the folding and the re-packing were left to us. It was only fair for them to do so after everything they've done for us thus far.

"It keeps your clothes from getting wrinkled, dummy!" Azusa explained, "Didn't you fold your clothes?"

"Well, ah..." Jun said, laughing dryly as she re-opened her duffel bag, "I was just about to do that myself."

Though I assume Jun totally forgot about that. Heehee~

"But anyways, hurry up you guys." Azusa urged, "We don't want to miss the show."

Ah, right - The show. It was a Thursday night after all, and in about seven minutes or so Nagoya LIVE was going to start. It was a show that Azusa regularly followed almost religiously. Hanging out with Azusa at her house often, Jun and I somehow got dragged along and it gradually became part of our schedules. Not wanting to miss the start of the show, Azusa went on ahead and Jun and I promised to follow.

"Eh? You're not going with Azusa?"

"I'll help you fold them, Jun. Tasks become easier when we split the work, right?" I offered, "I'm only there for the celebrity cooking tips in the middle of the show anyways, so I'm fine."

"Aww, thanks Ui!"

From the open door, I then heard the TV turn on and the sound of Azusa bouncing lightly on the sofa of the villa living room. She was definitely a fan of this show.

The two of us went through the pile of clothes, stacking them up neatly atop Jun's bed. With the two of us folding the clothes, we would be finished in no time! Jun however stopped every so often, looking at me with awe.

"You fold clothes mighty quick, you know." Jun said amazed, "You're almost done and I'm not even halfway yet!"

"Well, I have to juggle a lot of chores at home, you see." I said, still folding my share of the workload, "Cooking, cleaning, laundry... onee-chan relies on me doing those chores so I'm used to doing them."

"Wait a sec Ui. If that's the case, then why did Azusa finish before you did?"

"Ah." I said, pointing to the two distinct piles on my bed, "I also had to do some of onee-chan's clothes. She has trouble folding shirts, you see."

"Oh, I see, I see..."

"After I got my Tele too, I devoted a lot more time to practicing guitar." I added, "Add homework and schoolwork into the mix too and I have to be efficient with my time. 24 hours can go by so fast."

"But if you're strapped for time, you could always get to help Yui-senpai to help you out. Aside from the shirts, that is." Jun said, "Big bro thinks I'll burn the kitchen down if I even try to cook and all, but I just wanna help out sometimes. I gotta learn sooner or later too, eh?"

"That sounds nice, but I don't know." I said, "Onee-chan _is_ learning to cook and she shows some promise, I'll give her that, but she gets lost in the kitchen sometimes. When it comes to laundry, let's just say I don't feel confident letting her use a flat iron. Onee-chan is just the type of person you can't leave alone. So I'll keep taking care of her until then..."

"Jeez, you make me wish I had a younger sister like you." Jun sighed, "Ain't easy bossing around an older brother, especially if he can arbitrarily not put maple syrup on your pancakes... He doesn't do that though, thank goodness."

Just then, a panting Azusa barged into the room again.

"What's up Azusa?" Jun asked, finishing up the last of her pile, "Is Yagihara dating another celebrity?"

"N… no." Azusa gasped, "We're… we're on TV!"

"Azusa, you joker." Jun sighed, "We know you want us to like the show as much as you do, but that's a little too much, eh?"

The sound of shuffling feet then filled the hallways, followed by a squeal of joy. It was onee-chan's voice. Or Ritsu-nee's. I couldn't tell for sure.

"HOHOHOHHHMIGOSH~! IT'S US, GUYS! IT'S US!"

Seems like Azusa wasn't lying. Convinced by that, Jun and I rushed over to the living room down the hallway. As we got closer, there was a peculiar sound that turned out to be Cagayake! GIRLS. Everyone was assembled there, roused by all Azusa's call and were watching the television screen in wonder.

"It's a catchy song, ain't it folks?" A confident young man in the television commented, rubbing his chin as he bobbed his head to Mio-senpai's bass part, "It really has that anime feel to it. It has to be the vocalist, Yui Hirasawa. She's so peppy, man! She sounds like she'd be a great voice actress!"

"Uwah~" Onee-chan said dazedly, "My name was mentioned on national TV."

"As a matter of fact Yagihara-kun, that was what they were going for." An equally lively young lady appearing beside the man added, "A reliable source (who prefers to remain anonymous) told us that the theme Hokago Tea Time and the runner-up Okaeri had for their videos was an extended anime opening song. The leader, Ritsu Tainaka even specified wanting it to be done by Kyoto Animation. She has good taste in animation, huh?"

"Haha! Alright!" Ritsu-nee cheered, "Damn right, I have good taste! They ought to really use that song in an anime opening!"

"Wait a sec…" Satoshi-kun said with suspicion, "How did they know about that? Don't tell me we've got stalkers already…"

A camera then flashed from the forest behind the whitewashed fences all of the sudden. One of the villa guards then promptly came running out to the forest with a flashlight and baton, shouting words I'd rather not mention. Turning to the corner of the room, I saw Mio-senpai cringing in fright and Suzuki-kun was trying to comfort her. The idea of having media attention, formal and informal, must have weighed heavily on her… Poor senpai.

"But imagine that Kashiwara-tan, a single widely-read article from an Osaka district newspaper that happened to reach a Natsufest Committee member's breakfast table started something that had been unheard of in previous Natsufest events." The young man said intrigued, "Two bands from the Western Osaka district start a nationwide video contest and win first and second place respectively! What does my scouter say about their awesomeness level? It's over 9000!"

"Come to think of it Yagihara-kun, weren't you from the Osaka Prefecture?" The girl asked, "You must have heard of these bands before. Are they signed artists in Osaka? Do they have affiliations? With all this buzz they've been stirring up, they have to be signed artists."

"This may surprise you Kashiwara-tan, but neither Okaeri nor the HTT are signed artists. Hah, as an entertainment insider, it pains me to admit that I've never heard of either band in my life! Shame on me! There are rumors that one of the members is affiliated with the Osaka-based Kotobuki Corporation, but they do not seem to be getting funding from them so it's not an affiliation in our sense."

"Really? That's surprising!"

"Ain't it? The members are just high school students from the Osaka West District High School and The Sakura High Private School too and haven't toured past the West District. Oh, and I used to live in the Northern Osaka District so I'm not too familiar with the West."

"They must be home-grown heroes then! Gosh Yagihara-kun, such humble beginnings and yet they defeated Tokyo's top of the line. Okaeri barely defeated Tokyo, but the HTT absolutely crushed them! It has to be clear now folks, these two bands are going places, especially Hokago Tea Time. It's been a while since we've had exciting news in the music side of things, but hey, there has to be lots of stars out there still unnoticed. It just takes some time to come across their light!"

"I couldn't agree more Kashiwara-tan, and right now these kids are shining the brightest. We will definitely be following the developments here. Could they be the breakout artists of 2011? Only time will tell."

"So, we'll leave it at that for now as we take a break. After the commercials, we're showing the full clips that won second and first place in the video contest respectively, Wing Your Way by Okaeri and Cagayake! GIRLS by Hokago Tea Time. See you in a bit. We'll be back to continue our Natsufest special!"

The screen then segued into a commercial and the twelve of us there were left speechless. Mio-senpai especially so. She had fainted and Francis and Mugi-senpai were carrying her off to get some fresh air.

"Pinch me, Satoshi." Ritsu-nee said, her jaw slightly dropped, "Not too hard though, cause I might beat the crap out of you."

"Wouldn't you want me to take a swing at you instead, sis?" Satoshi-kun asked, "If you were dreaming, a nice haymaker would get you out of it real quick."

"Just pinch me already…" Ritsu-nee mumbled impatiently, to Satoshi-kun's amusement. He pinched her and Ritsu-nee slowly rationalized that this was real. She then screamed at the top of her lungs, "HOLY SH…. Ooops, no swearing in this house, right?"

"Nope." Satoshi-kun confirmed, "Not out loud, at least."

"Heh, if we weren't here then, I'd be screaming paragraphs of censors." Ritsu-nee chuckled, "But, my…. First, we get into Natsufest. Now we're the talk of the town! We're on national TV!"

"More like you were mentioned on national TV." Sawako-sensei said levelheadedly, "There's a difference between being on TV and getting mentioned on TV, you know."

"Eh, whaddya mean Sawa-chan?" Ritsu said, demanding an explanation. "You sound a little bitter there."

"Your names were mentioned in Nagoya LIVE and your music videos will get some screen time too." Sawako-sensei said, "But, you aren't exactly guests on the show. Dragged into it would be more appropriate."

"Sawa-chan, Riichan is right. You do sound bitter." Onee-chan said perceptively, "You don't exactly like Nagoya LIVE, perhaps?"

"Of course I don't!" Sawako-sensei ranted passionately, "Nagoya LIVE is the pinnacle of pop culture and everything I disdain! It would go against my principles to watch that overrated show… though I might spare a minute or two if it's about you guys, but man… that Yagiha…"

"Yagihara…" Azusa then asked, "You mean THE Shoichi Yagihara, one of the show's hosts? What about him, sensei?"

"Forget that I mentioned him."

"Uh, sensei…" Nodoka-senpai said, "We can't exactly just unlearn something we just heard about."

"Yes, please speak comrade-sensei." Shinohara-senpai added, "The Pravda will set you free!"

Sawako-sensei looked as if she was about to give but sternly folded her arms and turned away.

"Sawako-sensei, if you're afraid that we'll laugh at you, I promise you we won't." I reassured with a smile, "This seems to be a serious matter after all, so we'll take it seriously."

I glanced at Satoshi-kun and Ritsu-nee for a moment, silently begging them not to make any side comments. Thankfully, they disappointedly agreed. That was good enough for now.

"You all remember that guy from my High School days I told you about before, right? Well, that guy was Shoichi Yagihara."

No way… Sawako-sensei almost went out with a popular figure?

"He was just a regular public school student then and was a bit of a delinquent too whereas I was a sheltered girl from Sakura-gakou. I don't understand how it happened but I took an interest in him. Then, I told him that I liked him and…"

"Sawa-chan," Onee-chan interrupted, "you already told us this stuff…"

"Not to us though," I explained, "So please continue."

"Right…" Sawako-sensei said, clearing her throat, "So yeah, he rejected me saying he was looking for a much wilder girl… thus the Death Devils. After that though, he said that I'd 'gone too far' and, that was the end of it."

"What happened to Yagihara-san though?" Azusa asked with intrigue, "How did he end up in Nagoya LIVE?"

"I don't know and I don't care." Sawako-sensei said stubbornly, "It's not like I'll ever see him again… face to face."

"And that was Wing Your Way by the runner-up Okaeri and Cagayake GIRLS from the Hokago Tea Time!" The girl host said as the clips ended, "Welcome back to Nagoya LIVE!"

"So, I'm sorry about lashing out about that show." Sawako-sensei shrugged, "The past is past, I shouldn't get too riled up about these sorts of things now. I should be happy for you since you're all going to Natsufest and…"

"Oh, and guess what folks?" The man on TV then said, "As part of our Natsufest special, I, Shoichi Yagihara will personally cover the Natsufest festivities. So drop in and say hi! If you can find me, that is. Haha!"

"Eh~!"

Sawako-sensei paled up then marched unevenly out of the room totally flabbergasted. Ritsu-nee then smirked and said with a rough pseudo-croc wrangler accent,

"This should make things mighty interesting."

* * *

The next morning, we had breakfast in the Kotobuki family's Kyoto villa for the last time. It was a simple yet delightful meal of miso soup, steamed rice with pickled radishes and fried dried fish one of the servants called 'tuyo' along with some vinegar. She taught me a simple way to make some for myself when I asked, so I'll probably give it a try when we get back home.

"Hey, hey." Onee-chan then asked the servant, "How do you say 'tasty!' in your language?"

"In my country, we say 'masarap!'" She replied with a smile. Onee-chan then started saying it, struggling for a while before eventually getting the hang of it. She'll definitely like me making some of this dried fish then. I'm glad.

After breakfast, the twelve of us then prepared to leave. Rather than being led back to our cars though, we were brought to the far end of the compound, past the construction site of the stable. A staircase at the edge of the cliff brought us down to a lakeside dock where a large yacht was waiting for us.

"We already loaded your things while breakfast was being served." The butler explained, "We will be taking the yacht to the Natsufest site."

Apparently, the expressway we had taken earlier to get here was now traffic-jammed. Since the site was just on the far end of the lake, the boat was our backup plan and everyone seemed rather eager to ride.

"Free boat ride for twelve!" Ritsu-nee cheered, "Where's T-Pain when you need him?"

"I just hope it's not a Nice Boat." Satoshi-kun mumbled, "We're cool, aren't we Yui-nee?"

"Of course we are Satoshi-kun." Onee-chan said, patting his head as if petting him, "Why are you so nervous?"

"N… nothing."

Oh Satoshi-kun. Have you been watching School Days again? Once he had finally calmed down and patted onee-chan down for weapons, we got into the boat and started sailing to the Natsufest site. We cruised through the calm waters and watched the reflection of the sunlight in the mostly clear waters. It wasn't the cleanest lake we were going though, I'll admit, but it was a beautiful sight nonetheless.

"Hey Ui!" Jun said, calling me into the yacht's inner chambers, "Have a look at this!"

"What's up Jun? Did you find something interesting?"

"Just get over here Ui! You'll understand."

Curious, I scampered down to where Jun was and saw the two of them wearing sailor caps. It reminded me of that JSDF Navy commercial I saw before… how did it go again? '_Seaman ship! Seaman ship! For love! Seaman ship! Seaman ship! For peace!_' That sounds about right. Satoshi-kun used to say he wanted to join the navy, but said that that commercial put him off. I think it was cute, though.

"Mugi-senpai said we could mess around with them for a while." Jun explained, "Ain't they nifty?"

"They're really nice Jun, Azusa." I said rather amused, "But shouldn't there be a captain's hat too?"

"Ah, right. There might be one over there." Azusa said, pointing to a closet, "You can have it if you find it."

Walking over to the closet, I rummaged through it and found the peaked cap with the insignia of the Finnish Navy.

"Ehehe, I don't think I should be wearing something like this." I said hesitantly, "It seems too important to be played around with."

"Aww, come on." Jun prodded, "Mugi-senpai already gave us permission, and it's not like we're gonna take it off the boat."

"Yeah Ui." Azusa seconded, "I'm sure it will look cute on you."

"Well, if you insist." I said with a blush. I lifted the cap and laid it gently on my head. "There… how is it?"

My two friends then gasped.

"Whoa… you'd make a really pretty JSDF Navy officer!"

"Aww, shucks…"

"Come on, let's show everyone else!" Jun said excitedly, climbing up to the main deck, "Let's go!"

Chuckling at our friend's enthusiasm, Azusa and I duly followed.

"Wow, it suits you well Ui-chan." Mugi-senpai complemented

"You look mature wearing that cap." Mio-senpai added, "But there's a cute side to it too."

Meanwhile, onee-chan and Ritsu-nee were chanting the old JSDF Navy commercial and dancing to it too, much to Satoshi-kun's confusion.

"What about you Satoshi-kun?" I asked, turning to him shyly, "What do you think?"

"Me? Well… uhm… I think it's…"

Before he could finish what he was going to say though, a particularly strong wind blew through the lake, swept the cap off my head and sent it flying. Oh gosh!

"The cap!" Mugi-senpai said frightened, "Catch it quick!"

The fluttering cap flew through the crowd. Suzuki-kun and Satoshi-kun almost caught it, but it slipped through their hands. It passed by Jun next, but it zipped past her before she could even react.

"I'll get it!" Azusa cried, pocketing her sailor's cap and rushing for the one I had lost. To our shock, the cap was already flying to the edge of the boat. Was she really going to go for it? Oh gosh, she was! She leaned against the railings and reached out for the cap like a baseball. She caught it but she had lost her balance and was about to tumble overboard. Luckily Satoshi-kun, Suzuki-kun and Jun were close enough to keep her on board. Phew… that was a close one.

"Azusa, everyone, I'm sorry I caused this ruckus!" I said, bowing as deeply as I could, "I should have held when the wind blew. It's my fault."

"Nah it wasn't Ui." Onee-chan comforted, "That was just an unexpectedly strong wind. We can't control how strong the winds blow now, can we? And Azu-nyan was there to catch it, so it's all good!"

"Yeah, so here you go." Azusa said, handing me the hat again, "Take care of it better this time."

"Definitely."

"Anyways, little Miss, guests," the butler who was driving the yacht interrupted, "We're almost at the site so please get ready."

"We ought to put these back to where they belong then." I said to Azusa and Jun, "We don't want them to get lost again."

The three of us then returned the hats to their respective places. Once we got back up, we were approaching a dock near the Natsufest site.

"Excuse me, people!" A guard shouted from the dock, "This wasn't meant to be an entry way for spectators. If you're here to watch, please proceed to the front gates."

"But kind sir," Ritsu-nee said with a grin, "We aren't spectators! We're here to perform!"

* * *

Later on…

"So this is it, huh." Satoshi-kun whispered to Suzuki-kun as we melded into the crowd at the main Natsufest stage, "This is the music festival of all music festivals… I don't know about you, but I'm feeling pretty damn giddy."

"Same here buddy… are we really going to be performing here tomorrow?" Suzuki-kun whispered back, "This crowd is huge! And how many stages does this site have? Eight? Nine? Damn… Thank goodness that guard let us go through."

"We still had to get the wristbands though." Jun said, showing off her wristband, "Too bad Sawa-chan and the two had to get the audience ones at the front."

"We're here…" A panting Sawako-sensei said as she, Nodoka-senpai and Shinohara-senpai joined us in the crowd, "You're a privileged lot all of you. You all ought to appreciate this great opportunity you have."

"We appreciate it, Sawako-sensei." I said, "I couldn't be more thankful in my life!"

"Neither can I." Shinohara-senpai said, fishing out her notepad, "For a freelancer, this is going to be good money. I'm more than certain this event will make it to the front page!"

"Hah…" Suzuki-kun then sighed, "If only the assistants of freelancers made more bucks…"

"Quit whining, comrade!" Shinohara-senpai hushed, "You already asked for an advance last month. You can't expect a raise for a while buddy! Such is the way of the Capitalists..."

Just then, the oh too familiar twang of Gitah echoed from the speakers.

"Eh… was that part of the setup?" Satoshi-kun pondered out loud

"Oh, sorry about that!" followed Onee-chan's voice. Satoshi-kun then squinted in an 'I knew it' fashion.

"Anyways," Sawako-sensei said folding her arms, "I reckon the show is about to start."

An energetic host then climbed up on stage to address the concert-going crowd. He welcomed them to the event and the crowd cheered with great enthusiasm.

"Na-tsu-fest! Na-tsu-fest! Na-tsu-fest!"

The crowd was definitely into it… and so was Sawako-sensei. Any stress she might have had was converted into fanatic energy as she joined in on the chant.

"Okay then folks!" The host said, rushing off the stage as the curtains rose, "To open up the festivities of Summer 2011, we have the winner of the video-making contest! Give it up for Hokago Tea Time!"

The crowd's energy then soared at the mention of onee-chan's band. I even saw a banner bearing the HTT's teacup symbol somewhere in the crowd. Surely, the crowd was expecting them. Onee-chan then took to the microphone and said.

"Everyone! We're the HTT and we would like to thank all of you for bringing us here!"

The show hadn't even started yet, but the energy was at fever pitch. It was no wonder why they won the landslide victory at the contest.

"So I'm Yui Hirasawa on lead guitar and vocals!"

"M… Mio Akiyama on the bass."

"Azusa Nakano. Rhythm guitar!"

"Good afternoon! Tsumugi Kotobuki on the keyboard!"

"And Prez Ritsu Tainaka on the drums! Oh yeah!"

"Big sis is a little bit too excited…" Satoshi-kun whispered to me

"Given their situation, who wouldn't be?" I chuckled

"Alright then!" Onee-chan said clenching her fist, "Here's our first song, Utauyo Miracle!"

* * *

**Utauyo Miracle!**

**Musicians: Yui Hirasawa (Gt-1, Vo), Mio Akiyama (Ba), Ritsu Tainaka (Dr), Tsumugi Kotobuki (Ky), Azusa Nakano (Gt-2)**

* * *

"_Oh, I really love you all!_

_So here it is, our gift to you; our Miracle Sing Time!_

_Singin'! I'm singin'! It's the absolute, best way to show my love!_

_Even if the lyrics start to sound like non sense,_

_I'll pour my soul out in this song!_

_..._

Onee-chan then started picking at Gitah like there was no tomorrow. Transitioning from the intro to the main verses, onee-chan had to lead the way with some rapid picking. Utauyo Miracle was one of the hardest songs in the HTT repertoire, onee-chan told me, and it was relatively new so she wasn't as rehearsed on it as something like Fuwa Fuwa Time. Despite that, she played on and she played well, not missing a single note and smiling all the way. The crowd must have recognized the newness of the song and the cheers became even louder.

...

_"What do I do when I'm bound by a list of to-do's_

_That have been forced onto my plate? No!_

_Don't hold me down, I'm a dreamer! I want to be free,_

_To dash out to wherever I please! Yeah!_

…

_So, sorry if my manners are bad!_

_But image doesn't mean anything to me! So let it go now._

_Rockin' is what matters to me; a sparkle on the stage._

_Is this, perhaps, what youth's about?_

_Ever, ever, forever shine!_

…

"_So, I truly love you all!_

_The tension is rising in this Powerful Gig Time!_

_My heart is, my heart is, always seeking things that excite!_

_Even if I start to slip and start to mess my chords up,_

_My bravery will pull me through now!_

_So play on the tremolo, follow up with the flam tap_

_It's awesome! It's awesome! It feels great to just let loose!_

_I'm always so happy, living in the moment!_

_So live on, you young'ins, live by your beating heart!_

…

At the end of the first verse, the atmosphere in the stage grounds was unbelievable. People were clapping and shouting to the beat of the song. Many of these people have never heard of Hokago Tea Time before the video contest and many more have only heard about them today. However, everyone there was shouting 'HTT!' as if they have known them for a long time. Onee-chan seems so happy there on stage, singing and playing Gitah before such a large crowd.

The second verse soon ended but the energy level had remained the same. Onee-chan, Ritsu-nee and the rest played on with their usual vigor and the audience openly showed their appreciation. As onee-chan soloed her way through the bridge, she then pointed out to where we were. She was dedicating it to us…

…

_This ain't written in the books,_

_It ain't even taught in the class_

_But of everything I know_

_This one thing I'll never forget._

_The miracle that I thought never was;_

_All of us singing together,_

_I say that is the time that,_

_I believe I can be strong!_

_..._

"_Oh, I really love you all!_

_So here it is, our gift to you; our Miracle Sing Time!_

_Singin'! I'm singin'! It's the absolute, best way to show my love!_

_Even if the lyrics start to sound like non sense,_

_I'll pour my soul out in this song! It's larger than life!_

_Does today seem like the past one? Will tomorrow be like today?_

_Alright, it's alright! As long as we have some fun it's a success!_

_I'll always be a rocker, mindless of tomorrow!_

_Onward, you young'ins, embrace your hopes!_

…

_I love you all! I love you all! I'm so thankful for the love you've given me!_

_So I will sing. So I will sing. I'll sing today with all of my heart!_

_I love you all! I love you all! I'm so thankful for the love you've given me!_

_So I will sing. So I will sing. I'll always sing with all of my heart!_

* * *

The HTT's song ended and the five of them held hands and bowed together. Thunderous applause, sporadic whistles and chanting greeted them as they lifted their heads and their delight could be seen from afar.

"That was just a sampler, y'hear? We'll be performing again midnight tonight at the new band stage so be sure to catch us then!" Onee-chan said as a final remark, "Oh, oh! And I recommend watching my sister Ui's Okaeri at the new band stage later tonight too! Thank you very much!"

My… truly, onee-chan is looking out for us. I'm so lucky to have her as my sister. Just as she was going off stage though, she nearly tripped. Thank goodness Ritsu-nee caught her. She has amazing talent and equally amazing passion, but like I told Jun, one can't just leave her alone.

The crowd at the main stage then slowly dissipated. Most of them started going round the Natsufest grounds to check out the other bands while a handful stayed entrenched close to the main stage to wait for the next performance there. Crossing through that line of concert goers, there was a lot of felicitation and the members of the HTT ended up signing a few dozen autographs. Some devoted fans even asked to have pictures with them and Ritsu-nee was more than willing to oblige.

"So Ui-chan." Sawako-sensei then asked, "What did you think of that performance?"

"It was a great show as always, Sawako-sensei." I replied happily, "Onee-chan and Ritsu-nee are lively as always. Mio-senpai and Mugi-senpai are calm and composed... they're cool on stage if you come to think of it. And Azusa's incredibly talented! She played that song like it was nothing."

"Azusa-chan is talented, isn't she? Would you be looking forward to working with her and Jun-chan next year in the Light Music Club?"

"Of course I am!" I said eagerly, "I wouldn't ask for anything else!"

"That's good to hear." Sawako-sensei said, "I guess that means I'll be the instructor of the Light Music Club for another year then. Azusa-chan's already asked Manabe-san to organize the paperwork for next year."

"She must really love the Light Music Club, huh. I'm sure I would too, had I been a member along with onee-chan."

"Perhaps. It certainly would have been a fun experience and..."

"Eh? Sawako-sensei?"

Turning to the teacher, I saw that her attention was focused elsewhere. She was watching a normal-looking young man walk out of the main stage towards one of the intermediates. As if in a trance, she followed him and promptly disappeared from sight.

"Ah?" Ritsu-nee remarked as she rejoined us, "Where'd Sawa-chan go?"

"She was here just a minute ago." I explained, "But she saw some guy walking to another stage and she followed him."

"Guy..." Azusa deduced, "Could it be Yagihara-san?"

"No, it can't be." I said, "He wasn't wearing anything fancy. He doesn't have the shades he always has on the show... so I've never really seen his eyes. And his hair was matted down - it wasn't the signature Yagihara spiky kind. He looks like a regular guy."

"I propose a stakeout then!" Mugi-senpai then said vigorously, "Tell us where they went!"

I pointed to where last I saw them and the eleven of us marched off in that direction. We caught up with her and indeed, she was on the tail of a regular man. He didn't seem like a celebrity and no one else took notice of him, save for Sawako-sensei and the perceptive Azusa. This must be what he meant when he said 'if you can find me' yesterday on TV. No one would have known it was him. Most of us still had our doubts but that would soon be cleared... in a way we didn't exactly expect.

Ritsu-nee and Satoshi-kun were busy discussing how to execute the stakeout when onee-chan pretty much blew our cover.

"Sawa-chan, what are you doing over there?"

The teacher was thoroughly shocked, causing a bit of a ruckus. She realized what we were trying to do and started laughing dryly in panic. Naturally, the suspected Yagihara turned around and quickly recognized our teacher.

"Sawa-chan?" He asked amazed, "Sawa-chan! It's you!"

"Oh h... hey there." Sawako-sensei greeted stiffly, "F... fancy meeting you here."

"Ain't it a coincidence! I haven't seen you since High School, man! Wow!"

"Y... yup." Sawako-sensei gulped, "Now we're here... at Natsufest. What are you doing here, if I might ask?"

"Watching bands perform, just like I always have." He laughed, "Why else would I go to Natsufest?"

"Right... why else?"

Onee-chan then whispered to me that Sawako-sensei seemed rather nervous. I told her that it might be because she caught us sneaking up on her sneaking up on somebody. Her tension must have piled up because of that complexity. Yagihara-san then noticed the rest of us standing there and smiled.

"Would Yamanaka-san happen to be your teacher?" He asked us. Everyone save for the boys and Shinohara-senpai nodded. "Well then, why don't we all have some ramen together? No better way to know each other than over a nice bowl of ramen ah?"

Sawako-sensei was a little hesitant to accept his offer, but since it was just past lunchtime, the rest of us were hankering for something to eat. The majority won and we had some ramen with Yagihara-san. The man recognized the bandsmen among us easily and knew most of us by name. He had a hard time distinguishing me from onee-chan though, but eventually associated the hair clip to onee-chan and the ponytail to me.

In the mean time, Jun and Azusa bombarded the man with questions about himself such as why he wasn't in his usual get-up on TV. Apparently, he liked keeping a low profile and preferred not to be too known in public outside of his work in the Entertainment industry. He also happened to be the one to coin 'Sawa-chan' as Sawako-sensei's nickname back in the days. I guess that was why Sawako-sensei was hesitant to let onee-chan and Ritsu-nee call her that at school.

Anyways, we chatted on for a while about the latest trends and the latest gossip too, before Yagihara-san was interrupted by a phone call. He took the call and stepped out of earshot for a while, his previously easygoing demeanor turning to one of seriousness for the duration o the call. Once the call ended, he apologized and said that he had to cut their little lunch short and asked us to carry on without him. He bid us farewell, as did we, and he disappeared into the crowd in the same way he did earlier. Sawako-sensei then gave off a pleasant sigh.

"Oh-hoh! Has Sawa-chan's old romance been reignited?" Ritsu-nee teased. Sawako-sensei glowered at Ritsu-nee for her comment, the same way she would to keep the Light Music Club in line, but Ritsu-nee was unfazed this time. "You know Sawa-chan, your deterrence glare doesn't exactly exactly work when you're all blushy-blushy like that. You look more like a tsundere, hah!"

"I... I'm not blushing. And I'm definitely not a tsundere!" Sawako-sensei countered stubbornly, "But... stop talking about this already! You're just making things worse for me, you know!"

"But Sawa-chan," Onee-chan reasoned, "if we didn't show up, you would have just been following him around. We wouldn't have had ramen together like this!"

"Ungh, fine..." Sawako-sensei sighed, "You guys helped in this case, but you have to understand. This my life. This is a matter I've been avoiding for a while and I admit, I feel kinda stupid for doing so, but I need to resolve, on my own."

Sawako-sensei's request silenced everyone there at the table.

"You guys are all still young." She said in a strangely mellow tone, "Watch the other bands perform. Go around the grounds. Enjoy your youth and leave the adult's matters to the adults. Is that a deal?"

"Deal." Ritsu-nee said earnestly. She then turned to us and said, "So you heard Sawa-chan. There's tons of great bands playing here today and we've got to watch as many of them as we can before we perform again! Mio! Draft up a time plan for us, okay? I'm no good with plans so I leave it in your hands!"

"Roger!"

Sawako-sensei smiled then left the rest of us there to plan what to do next. Taking a deep breath, she followed the path Yagihara-san had taken to track him down again, this time bearing a semblance of determination that wasn't there before. True to our word, we left Sawako-sensei alone for the day and followed the plan Mio-senpai had made for us. We didn't talk about it out loud, but we all wished the teacher well.

* * *

Night had fallen on the Natsufest grounds and Sawako Yamanaka made her way through the evening crowd, constantly moving from one stage to another. A few hours had passed since she set off to find Shoichi Yagihara again and most of her initial energy, as well as a good amount of her sports drink bottle was spent. Tiredness set in paired with doubt as she leaned against a tree and looked up to the clear night sky.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked herself, closing her eyes and listening to the sound of music in the air. It was a romance that had failed in the past, she reminded herself. It was a flame long gone, a bridge she had burned years ago. Still, after seeing him again, after seeing him smile, she forgot all of that. She felt like that young high school girl in the midst of the boy she liked all over again, deja vu at its most striking. Was she hoping to give this romance another try? Was she priming herself to reignite the flame? One side of her said that that was indeed the case. The other side of her was just unsure. She finished off the rest of her drink, and carried on. She didn't want to return to her wards after such a bold declaration empty handed. She had to find Shoichi Yagihara, then figure out just what she wanted to do about the age-old, silent enmity she had brought upon herself.

Gentle winds brushed through the grounds, rustling the leaves in the nearby trees and combing her long hair to flight. It reminded her of the time she had confessed to Yagihara, with the wind blowing though the street in Osaka. The world stopped for a moment as she said those words of endearment to him, then shattered seconds later as she was rejected plainly. Twice. It was only then that she realized what she truly felt; confusion. She didn't understand why things turned out the way they did. He said he preferred wilder girls once, then says that she had gone too far. She was dumbfounded... maybe even hurt. She didn't like feeling hurt like that. Closure would be her only solace.

Then, fate played its hand. Walking in the direction opposite to her was the man she sought, Shoichi Yagihara. The unstyled hair and plain attire wasn't something she was accustomed to seeing him in. The Shoichi she had liked back then was a delinquent who was often found in flashy outfits and hairstyles outside of school. He was also notorious for wearing shades even at night, so Sawako never really saw his eyes when she hung out with him save for the times she confessed to him. Those clear brown eyes met hers on that grassy path and the two people stopped in their tracks.

"So our paths cross again." Shoichi said, his lips and his eyes smiling at the second pleasant coincidence, "Your students aren't with you this time round?"

"Not all of them are my students." Sawako corrected, "But yeah, they're out watching bands till they perform again."

"Is that so?" Shoichi replied, looking at his watch as if he were in a hurry, "Well it was nice running into you here again, but I am here on business. Be seeing ya."

"Wait up, Ichigo!"

"Ichigo, huh... You still remember that old nickname of mine?"

"Of course... how could I forget things like that. My friends still call me Sawa-chan after all... even a few of my students call me that from time to time."

"I sort of noticed that." Shoichi laughed

"You're here to scout for Nagoya LIVE's parent company, aren't you? Well, I've found a spot with a view of the whole grounds. You can see all of the performances from there, so you don't have to be running around so often."

"Really? Cool, then. If you insist, then I guess I could give that place a try. We do have a lot of catching up to do anyways."

The two of them then bought some beer at a refreshment stand and sat together at a nook overlooking the grounds.

"So tell me then Sawa-chan," Shoichi asked, "what is it like, coming back to your alma mater to teach?"

"It's fun, fulfilling work, I have to admit. Took some getting used to at the start, but I honestly like it."

"Do you and the Death Devils still perform?"

"Not anymore, no... we disbanded after a few years of tours. Many of us decided to pass the baton and settle down... one of them is getting married too."

"Is that so..."

"What about you, Ichigo?" Sawako said, changing the topic, "How does the toughest delinquent of Osaka North land a job as the host of Nagoya LIVE?"

"It was a funny story actually." Shoichi chuckled reminiscently, "I was hanging out with my troupe when and doing things we always did. We came across this guy on the street and the boys thought about frightening the dude for the heck of it. He wasn't scared at all and was actually impressed when I tried intimidating him. He turned out to be a director or something and said that his company had a show that was looking for 'someone with attitude' and that I fitted the bill. Graduation came and I found myself getting shipped off to Nagoya for the pilot of LIVE. It was a resounding success and here I am on the field, looking for 'the next big thing' in the entertainment industry."

"Ah, I see..." Sawako sighed, "It's funny how we go about rebelling against the status quo in our youth, only to settle with it later on. Our punk souls must have died out, huh..."

"Died out? Hah! Who ever said anything about my punk soul had dying out?"

"Eh? But you're now the host of the most popular entertainment talk show in Japan! How could it not have died out?"

"I'll admit, being a talk show host of Nagoya LIVE isn't the best place to fight the system but that show isn't everything I am. It's just an act, after all."

"So you still hang out with your old gang in Osaka North then?"

"Nope." Shoichi said shaking his head, "I haven't seen them in ages either."

"Then that means you're just a plain guy." Sawako argued, "You don't stand out from the crowd. No flashy, preposterous outfits, no gang, no nothing!"

"I understand what you're trying to say, but what if I told you that having that 'attitude' the director said I had was the status quo? Over the past few decades, the punk movement had been turned into a popular fad and a lot of the people claiming to be punks are just posers who want to be 'in'. Disgusting but true."

Sawako was silenced by Shoichi's concept. She had never thought of it in that way before.

"And what does having a punk soul truly mean anyways, Sawa-chan?" Shoichi continued, "Sure, there's lots about fighting the system and all, but the root of it all is not being afraid to be yourself. It might surprise you to know that I was just a poser back then. This plain me is the real me, even before."

"If that was the case, then what about that time I confessed to you?" Sawako then said, getting to the point she had been wanting to get to all that time, "Didn't you say you liked wilder girls? And what about that time you said I've gone too far? Till now, I've never gotten my head around that."

"Ah, that little ditty. I know I should have been more clear on what I meant then and I apologize for complicating things for you." Shoichi said embarrassed, "What I meant was that you had changed so much from when we first met, I feared you were just using punk and heavy metal music as a means to an end."

"Well, I wasn't." Sawako said firmly, "The true me loves heavy metal. Meeting you again after all these years made me realize that. Even now, after the Death Devils, I still love heavy metal and it will always be with me."

"Then you still have punk soul in you. I shouldn't have been so judgmental back then." Shoichi smiled. "Meeting you made me realize something too; that this is my true self. I'm plain and I'm proud of it! I don't need fame nor infamy to be happy. Being a punk or a celebrity doesn't matter to me. I just want to live life."

Sitting next to the man she used to like and talking to him so freely lightened the load in Sawako's heart. She had sought him, hoping to live a moment in the past when in reality she was longing to look towards the future. In the same way Yagihara didn't need attention to be happy, she didn't need to be with this man to be happy either. Rock music was her lover and that love trumped everything else. Plus, the diamond ring on Shoichi Yagihara's ring finger told her that it was time for her to move on.

"So who's the lucky girl?" Sawako asked with an air of intrigue

"You noticed the ring, huh?" Shoichi laughed, "Don't tell anyone yet, but it's Sarina-chan, Sarina Kashiwara."

"Your co-host?" Sawako asked shocked, "Wait a sec, isn't she a celebrity?"

"On TV, she is." Shoichi explained, "Like me, she's just a paid actor who acts in the norm of the month for a wage. Beyond the screen, she's just a regular human being. She ain't a prima donna like the other girls in the business and that was something I really liked about her. She was a geniune."

"She's got that Goody Good-Good punk soul too huh?"

"You could say that." Shoichi said happily, "We both agreed to call it quits at the end of Nagoya LIVE's season this year to tie the knot. The director doesn't exactly like couples hosting a show like that. Single hosts can stir up more ratings with intrigue, after all."

"I wish you two well then, Ichigo." Sawako said, standing up from where she sat, "I'm sure you two will be happy together."

Just then, a familiar voice then echoed from the nearest stage in the area. It was the voice of Ui Hirasawa, the vocalist of the band Okaeri who was starting off their performance with the standard issue MC.

"Everyone!" Said Ui, "It is truly an honor to be able to have the chance to perform here at Kyoto today and I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to everyone who has supported us thus far! My onee-chan, the HTT, Shinohara-senpai and the Osaka press, our wonderful teacher Sawako Yamanaka and all of you wonderful folks here tonight!"

The crowd, though smaller than the one at the main stage at the opening show replied with supportive applause that reached even the pair's ears at the nook.

"All of you challenged us to become better musicians and better people! We wouldn't have been able to travel down this road without your support! So take this as our thanks!"

* * *

**Travellers**

**Musicians: Ui Hirasawa (Gt, Vo), Jun Suzuki (Ba), Satoshi Tainaka (Dr), Francis Suzuki (Vi)**

* * *

_All of us here, are chasing a dream_

_Walking down a road, down a path we have cleared._

_Moving ever onwards on. The night will give way, to the break of dawn._

_..._

_As we walk this road, we carry our loads_

_Memories of the past, our hopes for the morrow._

_But all this weight is just that of a feather now, when we walk side by side!_

_..._

_Some say, the path ahead is treacherous_

_And filled with countless trials and tribulations_

_But together, we'll make it through and watch the new day rise over the sea!_

_Come on!_

_..._

_We're almost there, I feel it!_

_The salty air, it beckons, as the dark blue sky is filled with light_

_There, at the end of the road. Together, we'll be!_

_Standing there, we'll be smiling with no regrets, without a doubt that it was worth the walk,_

_All because of love!_

* * *

The two watched as the band played on and the audience watched in appreciative silence, the way Okaeri's audience has always done. The audience was moved by Ui's voice, heightened by the steady strumming of her guitar which was normally amped in one part then overdriven in the next. The drumming of Satoshi Tainaka complemented Ui's performance, light and cymbal-oriented in the verses then heavy on the bass and snare in the chorus. The Suzuki siblings followed the couple as well. Jun Suzuki provided the constant bassline and Francis Suzuki fiddled the rhythm perfectly on the violin.

"These kids and the HTT are the people I will be passing the baton to." Sawako then said, "I've had my chance at reaching Budokan with the Death Devils, but I guess my calling is to be their a teacher for a little while longer. Travelers do need someone to guide them down the road, after all."

"With that much passion and spirit, I assure you, Budokan will be within their reach." Shoichi agreed, "They might just be the 'next big thing' we've been looking for! You know what, Sawa-chan? As a last hurrah for Nagoya LIVE before Kashiwara-san and I make our engagement official, and eventually get fired, hah, I want to invite the HTT and Okaeri to perform on our show. An episode featuring them would be a fitting way to end this season, no?"

"I'm sure they would appreciate the offer." Sawako said happily, "We were actually talking about the show featuring them yesterday, so they'll definitely be stoked."

The two of them then shared a laugh.

"So when exactly would you have them on, Ichigo? A definite date would be quite helpful."

"We're still negotiating the exact date of the finale with the producers and the directors and stuff, but I'd say late October."

"Late October, huh..."

"Will that be an issue, Sawa-chan?"

"It might be... late October is the time of the Sakura-gakou Cultural Festival. It will be the last one for the seniors too... I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to talk about it with them first."

**To Be Continued**


	20. We're Closer Than We Claim To Be

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 20**

It was about half past midnight on the Natsufest grounds. The last of the concerts for the day were still wrapping up on the stages and a good number of the concert goers were heading back to their campsites. Slowly but surely, the music from nearly every genre imaginable which had filled the air was replaced by the song of the night birds and the sound of crackling campfires that dotted the grounds. Around one such campfire, we, the members of Okaeri and the HTT, sat with our guests Natsuki-senpai and Manabe-senpai, talking about the day of music that had just passed and the days to come. The lot of us were excited to see the other bands, of course, but there was a feeling of calm and contentedness about us this time. Both the HTT and Okaeri performed on the Natsufest stages yesterday and put on a show.

Sitting there with everyone else, it wasn't hard to look back and see how far we have gone. Also, it wasn't hard to want to take even a glimpse of the future... but we weren't fortune tellers now, were we? Nonetheless, I could see Azusa, Jun and Ui continuing the Light Music Club with the surge of volunteers that would open up countless possibilities. There would be around ten or twelve of them, according to my sister's estimate. Ui and the two would probably have their hands full, so I'm guessing Francis and I will be called in to help out every now and then. Francis and I, on the other hand, would take command of the Press Club too at Osaka West and we would do our best make sure that the school year wouldn't be boring. That ole principal of ours will be up all night wondering what we're going to try to do next.

Indeed, it felt nice looking to the future, wondering what we were going to do with our senior year. However it also made me wonder how we would manage once the seniors were gone. I know I already talked to Ui and her friends about this, but the thought of it stubbornly lingered on in my mind. The lot of them would be going to college next year, without a doubt. I'd have no Yui-nee be amused by, no Mugi-senpai to serve us tea. Without Manabe-senpai and Natsuki-senpai, we incoming seniors would have the legal, or paralegal fire support we've enjoyed in the past year and a half. Mio-senpai wouldn't be there to remind us about things we might forget... and I'll even miss big sis Ritsu's big forehead. She wouldn't be there to make the big decisions for the Light Music Club, a responsibility to be split between me and perhaps Ui or Azusa, depending on how things play out.

Just as I was thinking about all of this, Ritsu turned to me and started poking my face.

"You look like you've got a lot on your mind there, buddy."

"And you thought poking me would help?" I laughed, "Yeah... I've been thinking."

"Go on."

"I've been thinking about the future, sis. Like, how we would manage once you guys are gone. I'm sure it's plain to see, we sophs have really depended on you seniors. Now that you guys only have two terms left before graduation, I couldn't help but ponder..."

"You've been thinking about that too, huh." Ritsu said sympathetically, "I know you think of me as the most carefree person in the world, since you and I are the same in that regard, but I've spent nights trying to figure out the outcomes. However, whatever will be will be. Worrying about it won't help us a bit - it's just undue stress, right?"

"True..."

"Think positively, little bro." Ritsu said with a smile, "Didn't you yourself say 'as long as Ui and I are together, nothing will be able to stop us!', or something like that."

"I did, yeah." Remembering telling her that one time or another

"Besides, this year isn't over yet." Ritsu added, "We still have the Cultural Festival at Sakura-gakou to go through before we graduate and Nodoka says our class might be putting up a Shakespeare play."

"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, perchance? If it is, I have _got_ to watch!"

"No. That's Stoppard's fanfic of Hamlet." Ritsu denied, "I don't know what play we're doing yet. Oh, and in case you've forgotten, your friend Francis and Mugi are leaving for San Francisco in August."

"Of course I haven't forgotten about that." I said, "Francis talks to me about it all the time lately. San Francisco this, Mugi-senpai that."

"So, see?" Ritsu said with a smile, "We still have a long way to go before the year ends. Save your pondering for when we do graduate. Just don't cry, cause you'll humiliate me on stage."

"Hah! You're the one who should tell yourself not to cry!" I joked, "You can get pretty emotional too, you know."

"Fair enough." Ritsu laughed, "So anyways, I wanted to talk to you about the Cultural Festival, Satoshi-kun. It's going to be the last one for us seniors, and I wanted it to be a special event."

"Alright then, what did you have in mind?"

"I wanted to ask you if it would be alright for Okaeri to perform with us at the Cultural Festival." Ritsu said, "We'll be putting our best feet forward, our best songs and all. We could even write up some new songs for the event. It's going to be great!"

"Alright? You were going to ask me if it was alright?" I asked, "Dude! You don't have to ask! We'd be happy to perform with you guys. It's like your farewell performance to the school after all. Why in our right minds would we want to miss that?"

"It's settled then." Ritsu smiled, extending a fist to me, "Bro fist."

"But you're my sister, Ritsu."

"Girls can be bros too." Ritsu argued, "I read the Code, you know."

"I know but..."

"Satoshi-kun. This fist will not be lowered until it gets what it wants... nay! What it deserves!"

"Fine." I said rather amused. My fist tapped hers and I gave her a determined nod. "It's a deal!"

Just then, a certain teacher emerged from the campbound crowd with a pleasant smile on her face. The news she brought with her was equally pleasant as well.

"Everyone! I have some excellent news for you all!"

"You got engaged?" Ritsu asked deviously

"I wish." Sawa-chan mumbled, "Anyways, I was talking with Yagihara-san just a while ago and he said he wants the HTT and Okaeri to perform on Nagoya LIVE."

"S... seriously?" Azusa asked, "You're not kidding are you, Sawako-sensei?"

"Why would I kid about something like this?" Sawa-chan reassured, "Yagihara-san and I watched your performances today... well, basically yesterday but oh heck, and he was simply amazed. He said that your bands may just be the 'next big thing' in the music industry."

Next big thing, huh...

"So what do you say? Are you willing to appear on TV?" Sawa-chan asked, "I have to tell Yagihara-san as soon as possible so he can work things out."

"Of course we're willing!" Azusa said with absolute certainty, "This would be the chance of a lifetime!"

Seeing our eagerness to perform on TV, Sawa-chan's expression then became mixed. She looked as if there was something else she wanted to say but the words never materialized. Looking back at it though, an opportunity like this was something the Death Devils woul have needed in their time to reach Natsufest. Perhaps she was just feeling envious for a moment. Shaking that thought aside, I watched Ritsu, Ui and the rest who have all been revitalized by Sawa-chan's news. Unless there was a Lenin among us, we would all be too giddy to go to sleep.

"Chalk up one more to that list I told you about." Ritsu said to me, "Nagoya will be our next target!"

* * *

Two weeks later at the platform of the Central Rail Station in downtown Osaka, Mugi-senpai, her parents and Francis were waiting for their train to start boarding. As promised, the members of Okaeri and the HTT were waiting there with them, keeping them company until it was time to leave. The trip to San Franciso wouldn't be until the end of the month, but since Mugi-senpai's father was the maestro of the year, he was obliged to travel on to the airport ahead of schedule to smoothen out any wrinkes that may arise. Naturally, this meant that Mugi-senpai and Mrs. Kotobuki would be tagging along too. The only thing that didn't add up was why Francis was travelling with them.

"Oy." I said to my friend, "Why exactly are you travelling with them again?"

"Why shouldn't I be travelling with them?" Francis argued, "Kotobuki-san and I are just friends and Mr. and Mrs. Kotobuki insisted that I come along. Travelling alone to Narita Airport can be a pain in the ass anyways, so the company is appreciated."

"Really..."

"Well, fine..." Francis admitted, revealing his ulterior motive, "They insisted on paying for my travel expenses too... I couldn't refuse!"

Jeez buddy, was money all you ever thought about?

"Whatever bud." I smirked, "Just be sure to get your table manners straight."

"Satoshi-kun is right, Francis." Mugi-senpai agreed, "Mom and Dad told me that they'll be watching how you handle your chopsticks closely at dinnertime! I'll be watching too!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Francis groaned, "Uncle and Auntie are enough, you don't have to go Gestapo on me too Kotobuki-san!"

"Fine, I won't." Mugi-senpai conceeded, "But only if you beat me in twelve rounds!"

Mugi-senpai then took out her Hanafuda deck, challenging Francis. Intrigued, Francis grinned and cried,

"It's a duel!"

And just like that, the two of them were engrossed in their little game once again. Two rounds into the game, Francis had already been besieged by a 3-bright and a blue ribbon combo and I started to wonder how Mugi-senpai got better at the game so quickly. Wasn't Francis the one who taught it to her? Taking a look at Francis' cards though, I was even more puzzled. He had the recipe for a Boar-Dear-Butterfly combo from the offset but never used it. Was he letting her win, perhaps? As I was pondering about this, Mr. and Mrs. Kotobuki then called me over to where they were. Strangely enough, Ritsu was with them too.

"Is something the matter?" I asked

"No, no. Everything is alright." Mr. Kotobuki reassured, "My wife and I just wanted to have a little chat with the leaders of the two bands. We also wanted to congratulate you two again for the successful performance at Natsufest, as well as the offer to appear on TV."

"Well, thank you Mr. and Mrs. Kotobuki. It is very much appreciated."

"You're very welcome Satoshi-kun." Mrs. Kotobuki said, "Anyways, we were just telling your sister here about how great an opportunity it is to appear on TV. Dealing in Marketing myself, I can tell you that appearing on TV is a big thing for a product or a group of people."

"It would reach the TV screens of the people." I assumed, "If people saw us on TV, they might come to our live performances."

"Very true, young man." Mr. Kotobuki said, "But TV won't only help you reach the ears of the people. It will reach the big companies too. Record labels, talent agencies and whatnot."

"Attention begets attention, little bro." Ritsu then said, "That's what they've told me so far."

"Yes, and now that you're here too, Mr. Tainaka, there's something we want to tell the two of you." Mr. Kotobuki said, "It's only a rumor though, so take it with a grain of salt."

"My husband and I have colleagues and contacts working in the entertainment industry, and there has been a lot of buzz about one of the main talent agencies looking for the 'next big thing'." Mrs. Kotobuki said, "Having been in the news so many times, I believe that if ever they are looking for that 'next big thing', Okaeri and the HTT may be top candidates. That is only my own guess though, and it is still a rumor."

"Actually, Mr. Kotobuki, Mrs. Kotobuki, we did hear about that 'next big thing' business when we got the offer." I said, "Maybe there is some basis to it after all."

"Really now? If that is indeed the case, then I must advise you two to be careful when going through with this. You two are the decision-makers of the two bands, so their fates are in your hands." Mr. Kotobuki said, "Keep these in mind, my boy - Big returns almost always entail big risks, and one must understand that opportunity cost isn't just an economic term."

Risk? Opportunity cost? What did he mean by that? The third term had only begun so the exams were still a ways off. Missing a few days to perform on TV wouldn't hurt us too much. Besides, weren't Francis and Mugi-senpai missing a week of school for this too? The logic of Mr. Kotobuki's statement escapes me... unless he was referring to something else. Before I could ask for clarification though, the time for them to board finally came. We bid Francis and the Kotobukis farewell and the waved from behind the windows as the train slowly started moving, eventually disappearing into the distance. The seven of us there then promptly dispersed, moving on with the rest of our day.

"What do you think he meant by all of that, Ritsu?" I asked

"I can't say I know for sure, but he is just telling us to be cautious." Ritsu replied, "Ask Sawa-chan or anyone in the know and they'll tell you that the Entertainment Industry is cutthroat. It won't be rainbows and butterflies."

"I knew that much. He doesn't have to worry though. We'll keep our friends safe and maybe even gain something out of all of this. We can achieve anything together after all."

"Indeed." Ritsu said, "So let's get something to eat, shall we? We haven't exactly had lunch yet and that single roll of bread I had won't cut it."

"Why don't we ask Yui-nee and Ui to come along too?" I suggested, "We haven't hanged out with just the the two of them for a while now."

"For a while now? We haven't hanged out with the two of them since forever! When was the last time we did? When we got Ui's guitar, right? That was almost a year ago!"

"We've all been busy these past few months." I reasoned, "With all those things going on, we haven't even had time to breathe."

"Well, now's a good time to take it slow for a while." Ritsu said, "We won't be practicing till those two polar bears come back, anyways."

On that note, we caught up with the Hirasawas and invited them to have some lunch with us. At the mention of food, Yui-nee was more than eager to oblige and we ate together at a famous cafe we had heard about - the Cafe Flora by the train station. Even though, we weren't together like this often, we enjoyed each other's company. They were my 'extended' family after all, the people closest to me. They were some of the few people I could truly trust and the people I cared for the most. Remembering Mr. Kotobuki's vague warning, I silently promised them one thing; I would protect them no matter what.

* * *

It was the late evening in the City of San Francisco and the performance of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra at the Orpheum Theater had just concluded. At a restaurant overlooking The Embarcadero's Pier 39 and the San Francisco Bay, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Francis Suzuki sat at a dinner table wearing an elegant dress and a sharp suit and bowtie respectively. The girl's hair had been curled and bore elegant ornaments while the boy's hair was combed neatly and gelled, fashions the two of them never wore on a regular basis.

There, they sat with the men and women of the Osaka Philharmonic, all of whom were in similarly formal attire, celebrating yet another success in the history of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra. A grand dinner of shellfish and turkey had been served before them and the atmosphere in the room was one of high spirits. Despite all of this though, Francis was restless and felt like the air in the room was stuffy. His leather shoes tapped impatiently against the marble floors underneath the table but was drowned out by the cheerful chatter of the other orchestra members. Nobody noticed his eagerness to move about save for the girl beside him.

"You're a little bit restless there, Francis." Tsumugi said curiously, "You didn't enjoy the lobster, I presume?"

The half-Canadian boy then chuckled.

"The lobster back in Halifax is way better than the ones here, but that's not the issue. I'm just a little bit bored, that's all."

"Is that so?" Tsumugi said, "Well, I am a quite restless myself and I do think this dinner reception is taking a bit too long."

"What do you plan to do then, Kotobuki-san?" Francis then asked, "It's not that I have anything against this celebration or the chaps here, but dessert is the only thing I'm looking forward to at the moment."

"What about we go out for a little walk?" Tsumugi proposed with a smile, "It's been all work and no play since we landed in California. I haven't seen anything of San Francisco other than the Marriott and the Orpheum Theater."

"You want to do a little sightseeing then, huh?" Francis said rubbing his chin, "Well this may just be your lucky day, Kotobuki-san. I've been to San Francisco many times before. I know this place like the back of my hand!"

"Really! Lucky me then." Replied the girl excitedly, "Come on then, if we go now, the others won't notice we had already left... and I'm sure mom and dad wouldn't mind as long as we don't stay out too long... and if we don't get lost, of course."

"That'll be a little more responsibility on my part, but heck. It ain't everyday I get to show a friend one of my favorite towns, after all. Let's go."

Snaking their way from their table, they made their way through the restaurant, telling Tsumugi's parents that they would be going out for a while then leaving immediately afterwards. Outside of the restaurant, Francis undid his bow tie and Tsumugi took off the hair ornaments and went off on their little sightseeing tour.

Being a newcomer to the city by the bay, Tsumugi wanted to go everywhere to San Francisco had to offer - the Coit Tower, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Twin Peaks, the Golden Gate Bridge, many of which were a couple hours away on foot. Taxi or public transport wasn't an option either since drivers and ticket machines didn't accept Canadian Dollars or Euros. The Canadian quarters Francis had on him would have fooled some machines, but he argued that $1.25 wouldn't get them very far.

Due to that, Francis decided to give Tsumugi a detailed tour of the Embarcadero instead. They were already there, after all, and it wouldn't take too long to get from one end to another. Plus, a lot of Francis' favorite places were in that area so he thought it would suffice.

"If you would look over there," Francis said pointing out to the Bay, "the Alcatraz Prison would be right over yonder. It used to be a Federal Prison till our southern buddies here in the US decided to close it down in 63' - said it was too expensive to maintain or something like that. Now it's a National Park of sorts famous for its gardens rather than its prisoners - imagine that."

"Wow..." Tsumugi said, looking at the prison island with amazement, "I see. So what else is there around here, Francis?"

"What else? Well... do see that big white tower on top of the hill over there?" Francis continued, "That's the Coit Tower you wanted to go to. It looks near, I know, but it's a bit of an uphill trek from here and I wouldn't want you to be going there on your high heels."

"Aww shucks." Tsumugi moaned, looking sadly at her shoes, "I was hoping we could go over there too... Anyways, please go on."

"Right... so, yeah. Coit Tower. It was a monument built in honor of the San Francisco firefighters who fought hard to put out the blaze that nearly burned the whole city down after the big earthquake in 1906. It was built to look like a fire hose nozzle."

"Ah, I can see that! Incredible!"

"It definitely is." Francis said as they walked on, "So come on! There's a lot more things to see around here!"

The two of them then quickened their pace and walked down the Embarcadero, Francis giving commentary about everything notable they saw - the Fog City Diner and the San Francisco Ferry Building and the like. Before long though, Tsumugi's feet started to feel sore, having walked quite a distance on high heels and they decided to take a break. They took a seat at Rincon park, not too far from the Bay Bridge and relatively close to their hotel as well.

"So this is the Golden Gate Bridge?" Tsumugi asked as she took off her shoes to let them rest, "We crossed this to get into town from the airport, I remember..."

"Actually, Tsumugi-san, this is Bay Bridge." Francis laughed, "Didn't I tell you? The Golden Gate Bridge is on the other side of town!"

"Oh right! Shoot!"

"Don't worry about it Kotobuki-san, a lot of people mistake the Bay Bridge for the Golden Gate. They do look a bit alike, after all. Visitors who come in by plane cross this bridge first too, so they think big bridge + San Francisco = Golden Gate. Very common assumption."

"I see." Tsumugi chuckled, "Well, it fooled me, that's for sure. In any case, this is a really nice place to rest - there's a view of the bridge, a view of the bay... and there's even that big bow-and-arrow sculpture sticking out of the ground there. What is that, exactly?"

"That?" Francis asked, inspecting the sculpture, "Ah, that's one of my personal favorites. That's something they call 'Cupid's Span'. It's a sculpture that can represent many things, depending on how you look at it. Like you said, it looks like a drawn back bow and arrow from here, but if you look at it from another angle, it can seem a bit like the stern of a boat.

The sculpture itself could mean a lot of things too. It could be a symbol of romance, for one and a monument to the San Franciscan maritime tradition to another. Like most works of art, it's open to interpretation."

"Is that so?" Tsumugi said happily, "Well, I must say, this trip has been most pleasant, Francis. I really enjoyed the whole tour you gave me of the area. My feet hurt, but it was worth it."

"I'm glad you liked it." Francis said leaning back against the bench and looking up to the night sky, "Maybe someday, we could actually go to those places I've shown you. You know, actually go to Alcatraz and the Coit. The views from there are amazing too, you know."

"I will look forward to that." Tsumugi replied with a smile, "Now, I guess we should be heading back now. The others must be looking for us already. Let me just put on my shoes and... tch..."

"Nah, you don't have to rush, Kotobuki-san. Rest up, we can stay here for a little while longer."

"Thanks." She said putting off her shoes again, "So, now that we're here, why don't you tell me something about yourself to pass the time?"

"About myself? Like what exactly?"

"Hmm... ah! Tell me how you got into playing the violin. You haven't told me about that yet."

"Alright then." Francis said clearing his throat, "I started playing the violin when I was ten years old then performed some recitals when I was fourteen onwards. I started later than most of my peers at the Philharmonic so it took me a while to gather the confidence and perform, but I practiced as hard as I could and manned up. Now here I am now performing with you and the Philharmonic."

"Oh, I see. So you bought Fraulein when you were ten, then?"

"My violin? Well, I didn't exactly buy Fraulein. She was something I inherited from my great grandfather who served with the Canada Corps in World War I at Passchendaele. He found her in a house his unit had bombarded to flush out the German troops fortified inside. He was shocked, obviously, to find the violin intact underneath the floorboards. Since he was fond of musical instruments, he claimed the violin as his own and called it the Young Lady of the Home - Fräulein des Hauses in German. It was passed down from generation to generation and refurbished to near-mind condition every so often till she ended up in my care. That's why she's known to me as Fraulein instead of, say, Mademoiselle or Josei. I only call her Fraulein though, without the umlaut."

"Fraulein has a lot of history to her, then."

"She does, and I treasure her. She's worth a lot more to me than one might think."

Francis' statement was met with agreement from the girl. She was fond of instruments herself, after all, so she was happy that her friend valued his violin.

"So your turn, Kotobuki-san." Francis then said, "I told you about how I got into playing the violin. Tell me about how you got into playing the piano."

"Ah, of course." Tsumugi replied, "I started taking piano lessons at a very young age. My mother taught me how to play when I was roughly three years old."

"Three years old? Wow! You must be a child prodigy or something!"

"You're flattering me, Francis." Tsumugi denied humbly, "I was just really interested in music. I still am."

"Amazing... and you made it to the Orchestra at thirteen years old too. That's quite a first performance."

"Actually, my first performance with the Orchestra happened way earlier than that." Tsumugi corrected, "I first live performance was at the 1998 concert in Manila."

"You were just four years old then..."

"Yes. That performance however came about accidentally, sort of."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's like this. My mom, the main pianist of the Philharmonic at the time, was supposed to play the Philippine National Anthem to start off the concert. It was a concert celebrating the country's 100th year of independence, so that part was a really big part of the show. Just as she was about to play, the four year old me somehow managed to sneak on stage. I nearly caused a commotion."

"What happened then?"

"The show was saved thanks to my mom's quick thinking. She called me to sit beside her on the piano and asked me to play some basic chords in a specific pattern. I played the chords and my mom played the melody around it. What resulted was a simple impromptu duet of the anthem and the audience was moved to tears. I didn't know what was going on then, but looking back at it, I was touched."

"The Philharmonic means a lot to you then."

"You wouldn't know how much, Francis. It has a special place in my heart."

"I see."

"So I'm really glad to have someone like you in the orchestra. The other members of the orchestra are nice and all, but you're someone I can actually talk to. You're someone I can be comfortable around. You're..."

She then saw the Cupid's Span sculpture nearby and sighed.

"... A really good friend."

"Why, thanks Kotobuki-san. I really appreciate it."

Tsumugi simply replied with a smile. She then checked her watch and gasped.

"Oh dear! It's so late already. We really ought to go now. We still have an early flight to catch tomorrow!"

The girl tried putting on her shoes again, but her feet were still sore.

"Here," Francis offered, turning his back to Tsumugi, "I'll carry you back to the hotel."

"A... are you sure?" Tsumugi asked shyly

"Yeah, go ahead!" Francis said confidently, "We Canadians may be pacifist, but we're pretty damn strong."

Tsumugi hesitated for a while but eventually agreed. She wrapped her arms around the violinist who, in turn, supported her legs.

"Okay then. Hold on to me tightly and don't let go, alright? Your parents are gonna kill me if you get hurt now."

The girl chuckled and did as she was told. Once Tsumugi was secure, Francis raised her up with a grunt and he began walking down Mission Street to their hotel. The two chatted on as usual along the way, enjoying what little time in San Francisco they had left. They both knew that there was a lot of work to be done once they got back to Osaka. These moments were therefore precious to them, especially to the girl on half-Canadian's back.

"You know, Francis..." Tsumugi said, her heart pounding in a strange interval, "Mio is very lucky to have you..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Let's just keep moving forward."

"That was what I planned to do, Kotobuki-san. Let's go."

**To Be Continued**


	21. Four Way Stalemate

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 21**

It was 9:22AM, Pacific Standard Time. A Japan Airlines jet takes off from the runway of the SFO International Airport, headed for Japan. In the First Class cabin, Francis Suzuki sinks into in his seat with a look of extreme comfort on his face. It was a most pleasurable experience to the half-Canadian who was used to the small, cramped seats of Air Canada's economy cabins to and from Vancouver and the countless connection flights from there to Halifax. In absolute fascination, he stretched his legs as far as he could reach and wouldn't hit the back of the seat in front of him - an unthinkable concept to him in the past. Being able to do something like that seemed surreal to him.

He was getting too amused by this, he then thought, judging by the way the stewardesses looked at him. Bashfully, he pulled up his retractable table, fished out a notebook that served as a planner and doubled as his external Press Club workstation and assignment notebook to try to ward off their gazes. Sadly, his attempt at looking normal didn't exactly go as smoothly as planned - as a matter of fact, it made him stand out even more. He was a person with a notebook in the midst of a sea of electronic device users after all - the other people around him had laptops and high-end gadgets. He was in the First Class cabin too, so the stewardesses must have been confused. Add the fact that the planner had been recycled many times over through Francis' generous use of correction fluid and scotch tape, he couldn't have seemed more out of place.

Trying not to mind that for now, Francis opened the planner, loosing bits of dried collection fluid to the table which he promptly swept to the side to avoid any more attention. He laid it down before him and ran through the pages until he reached the current date. Countless reminders populated the pages he had run through, with the most recent ones having marks like _'Practice at the Orpheum' _or _'Don't forget the suit' _and other remarks that had to do with the San Francisco concert. It reminded him of the time that Mr. Kotobuki had lent him a new coat to replace his old one after their first rehearsal, saying that Francis had to look his best. He was never told exactly what for, though - The performance? The annual group picture? Tsumugi? Francis never really figured out.

Waving that thought aside for now, he turned the page and the convoy of little reminders ended. In their stead, a blank sheet of (correction fluid-coated) paper sat before him. With Natsufest and the San Francisco trip over, he leaned over to his side and wondered what else he should be preparing for. The Cultural Festival was the first thing to come to mind.

Francis flipped through the pages, flying from the third week of August all the way to the 20th of October. That was the date of the upcoming Cultural Festival. Satoshi, the de facto leader of Okaeri, talked to him about the Cultural Festival non stop before he had left for San Francisco. Okaeri's drummer was hell bent on making the performance an example of awesome compounded, 'awesome upon awesome' and the violinist knew that that meant practicing with the band again at least twice or thrice a week. Paired with the upcoming Monthly Column at the Press Club, he already knew there would be a lot of cramming and rushing about involved. There was also that deal with Nagoya LIVE.

Up till then, he, Satoshi and the girls of the Light Music Club haven't heard Sawako Yamanaka talk to them about anything involving the TV event since the first time she informed them about it. Since he couldn't exactly set a date for a still theoretical event, he decided to talk about it with the rest instead. They ought to at least ask her about it, he reasoned. Nodding, he agreed with himself, resurrecting the stewardesses' skepticism of approaching him. He could only sigh.

A weak burst of snoring then broke his melancholy thoughts before dying down, coming from the seat beside him. He hid the planner again then turned to the seat beside him where a girl with long golden hair was sleeping soundly. There was a satisfied smile on her lips as if her unconscious self had intentionally snored to catch his attention and have him look her way.

"Sugar doughnuts... and tea... go well together..." the sleeping girl then mumbled, making Francis chuckle.

"Always thinking about the Light Music Club, huh Kotobuki-san?" He whispered to her, "Well don't worry. We'll be back soon."

Leaning back into his seat, Francis closed his eyes, deciding to get some shut eye himself. He slowly drifted to sleep, listening to the hum of the plane engines and the soft breaths of the girl beside him - a girl he considered to be one of his closest friends. Strangely enough, he saw her in his dreams, serving him tea at the table of the Light Music Club. She handed him his cup, he thanked her and she replied with a most pleasant smile.

"Sugar doughnuts and tea go well together, Francis. For me, at least." Tsumugi then said, pointing to the sugar doughnut on his plate, "Try them! I want to know what you think."

At her command, Francis took a bite from the doughnut then had a sip of tea. He was delighted by it.

"Absolutely delicious, Kotobuki-san! It's the best I've ever had."

* * *

Later on, at the platform of the Western Osaka District rail station, Francis' journey with the Kotobukis ended. It has been a long day of travelling for them, having been on a plane for almost eleven hours then on a train for two more. Now that it was all over, Francis savored being on his own two feet again and breathed in the Osaka air.

"It's good to be back." He thought out loud, "Too bad tomorrow's a Monday."

"Don't think like that, Francis." Tsumugi said, trying to add some optimism in Francis' thoughts, "The trip was fun though, wasn't it? Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it!"

"Of course I enjoyed it! Going to San Francisco with you and the orchestra was great!" Francis said, realizing that he wasn't just talking to himself anymore, "Come to think of it, we were able to skip a whole week of school too. I'm pretty sure Satoshi's gonna be jealous about that."

Tsumugi then laughed, covering her mouth in an attempt to suppress it.

"You know what, Francis?" Tsumugi added "Ricchan would probably act the same way. She might say something like '_you should have brought me along too!'_"

"They are brother and sister, after all. In any case, we'll be in for one hell of treat tomorrow when we go back to school." Francis chuckled, laying a hand on Tsumugi's shoulder, "Expect to be interrogated, Kotobuki-san."

"Don't worry. We'll be fine." Tsumugi reassured, "We've got a lot of stories to tell, after all."

Putting her hands behind her and leaning towards Francis, the girl then smiled.

"By the way Francis, if you're interested, my parents and I are having dinner at a restaurant downtown. It's not too far from here, so you can join in if you wanted."

"Dinner, eh?" Francis repeated, considering accepting the offer, "Sounds mighty nice, but there was something I was already planning to do. So sorry, I can't go."

"Aww, that's a shame." Tsumugi sighed, "Hmm... you wouldn't happen to be planning to pay Mio visit, are you?"

"I was, yeah." Francis said, scratching his head, "It'll be a surprise visit of sorts. I'm sure she'll be stoked."

"Bring her some flowers then." Tsumugi suggested happily, "Bring her flowers and when she sees you at her front door, she'll be ecstatic! A rose would be nice."

"A rose... That idea's not half bad Kotobuki-san." Francis considered, "I might just do that, thanks!"

"You're welcome, Francis. Oh... oh! And if you're passing by the strip mall, a family friend owns the flower shop there. Tell the shopkeeper you know me and I'm sure she will cut you a discount."

"Discount? Right on! Thank you so much! You're always looking out for me, you know? I appreciate it!"

Taking down some directions from Tsumugi, Francis bid the family farewell and went on over to execute his newly revised plan. In the meantime, Tsumugi rejoined her parents as they waited for their chauffeured car to arrive to pick them up.

"Oh, Suzuki-kun won't be joining us for dinner?" Mr. Kotobuki asked, "Shame. I took the initiative and told the maître d' we were having dinner for four."

"Yeah, I thought he was going with us too." Tsumugi said, "But it won't be a problem, I hope. We just have to cancel the fourth, right?"

"Very true. I'll call the restaurant again, then." Mr. Kotobuki said, taking out his phone. As her father spoke on the phone, Tsumugi walked down to the end of the short platform and turned to the moon shining in the sky. She put a hand over her heart and felt it beating in an uneven pace, the same way it had been that night on the Embarcadero. She then turned back to the direction Francis had gone and saw that he was already gone. A few words then barely escaped the girl's lips.

"Why do I feel this way all of the sudden?"

She then took a deep breath and smiled.

"It doesn't matter. As long as he's happy, I'm happy."

* * *

"Welcome home, big bro!" Jun Suzuki greeted as she opened the door for her brother, "Guess what? Ui and Yui came over while you were away and they taught me how to make pasta!"

"Really now?" Francis said amused, "So that means you won't be making just instant noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner, eh?"

"Hey, I can make rice too you know." Jun argued, folding her arms in defense. Francis entered, bearing a his suitcase on one hand and the case of his violin Fraulein on the other. In that same hand holding Fraulein though, there was something Jun didn't think her big brother would bring home - a rose. "What's that you got there, bro? A present from Mugi-senpai?"

"No, no." Francis clarified, setting aside Fraulein and his luggage, "I got this at the strip mall to give to Mio tonight. Gonna pay her a visit, you see."

"Oh..."

"But the shop I got it from was recommended to me by Kotobuki-san. It was a shop one of her family friends happens to own. Kotobuki-san said I'd get a discount if I mentioned knowing her. When I told the shopkeeper I knew Kotobuki-san though the shopkeep told me not to worry about price and gave this to me for free! How awesome is that?"

"So it is a present from Mugi-senpai."

"Indirectly, I guess. Yeah. Kotobuki-san has always helped me out with these sorts of things, even before Mio and I got together. She's been the most excellent wingman with Satoshi as a close second."

Jun rubbed her chin with an amused look on her face.

"Whatcha thinking about, sis?"

"Hmm... nothing." Jun said with a smile, "Anyways, I still have some of the lasagna the Hirasawas and I made from yesterday. Will you be having dinner now, or do you want me to leave you a plate in the microwave?"

"Microwave please." Francis said, "I just went over to say hi and drop off Fraulein and my luggage. So I'll be going then!"

"Wait a sec." Jun halted, "What are you going to do about your suitcase and Fraulein?"

"Leave them here at the anteroom." Francis said, "I'll bring them up when I come back."

Francis then bid his sister farewell again and the half-Canadian boy trotted off to Mio Akiyama's house with the rose in hand and a smile on his face. She was going to be surprised and happy to see him, he thought as he walked. He missed her all that time he was away, so he figured she would miss him too. That thought drove him on, making him quicken his pace. Along the way though, he came across a familiar face who apparently was heading in the same direction.

"Ritsu-senpai!" Francis greeted, "Good evening!"

"Suzuki-kun? You're back from San Francisco already?" Ritsu said surprised, "Awesome! Welcome back dude, and good evening to you too!"

"Uh-huh. So what's up, senpai? Would you be going to Mio's house?"

"I was heading over there, yeah. Mio called me over just a while ago. She said there was something she wanted to talk to me about - something really important she says."

"I see..."

"And I believe you're heading there as well." Ritsu said with a smirk, "That rose you've got there says it all."

"Caught red handed." Francis laughed, "But if Mio had something important to talk to you about, then maybe I shouldn't go... I wouldn't want to disturb an important conversation, after all."

"No, no, Suzuki-kun." Ritsu said shaking her head, "You're her boyfriend, buddy, and you already went all the way here. That flower would just go to waste too if you just go back. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you! Trust me, if you tear Ui and Satoshi apart for more than three days, they'll both go crazy!"

"Hah! You're right, Ritsu-senpai. Let's go."

Francis and Ritsu then carried on down the road to Mio's house. Ritsu got the half-Canadian to tell her all about the trip to San Francisco and his adventures there with Tsumugi while Ritsu, in turn, told Francis about what had happened while he was gone.

"You remember that Shakespeare play our class is going to put on?" Ritsu said, "Well, the roles have been decided and guess who got the role of Romeo? Mio!"

"Mio? As Romeo?" Francis asked in utter disbelief, "Hah, no way! Seriously?"

"I be tellin' the truth." Ritsu confirmed, "I can show you the cast list if you want."

"Nah, I believe you." Francis said, "So who got the role of Juliet?"

"You're looking at her." Ritsu sighed. Francis was tempted to make a snarky comment, but knew that a smack to the arm was a common retaliation of both Satoshi and Ritsu.

"The role doesn't suit me, huh?" Ritsu said, "Personally, I thought that Mio was going to be Juliet or something. She's way more ladylike than I am anyways."

"Kotobuki-san would have been good too." Francis added, "She's refined and cultured - I'm pretty sure she knows all the Shakespeare plays in English and Japanese, maybe even in Finnish too!"

"Well, she wasn't there during the drafting so we decided to have assign her in the stage crew." Ritsu replied, "The director's chair is still vacant though. She could fill it if she wanted."

Ritsu then looked at Francis with a raised brow and said,

"Mugi was the first person on your mind. Stare..."

"Hey, come on. We've been traveling together for the past week so she was the first person to come to mind." Francis defended, "Also, she's just a good friend of mine - that's all there is to it, eh?"

"That's good to hear then." Ritsu replied, "I wouldn't want you to go breaking my best friend's heart after all. You're the first guy she really took a real interest in, lucky guy!"

"First guy she took an interest in?" Francis repeated, "As in she's never liked any other guy before?"

"Yup. That means there's something special about you." Ritsu concluded, "She talks about you often too, so she's rather fond of you."

Hearing this gave Francis mixed feelings. On one hand, he was happy to hear that Mio really liked him from Ritsu. On the other, he was a tad bit confused. In all the months the two of them have been together, he knew they enjoyed each other's company but he felt like there never really was much of a connection between them aside from the Light Music Club. However, if Ritsu, Mio's best friend, is telling him this, then it must be true.

"Anyways, here we are." Ritsu said as they approached the gates of the Akiyama household, "Would you do the honors?"

Francis nodded and pressed the ringer, summoning the person he and Ritsu had come to see. He held the rose tightly in his hand, his heart beating quickly as he tried to imagine the sort of face she would have when she saw him. What were the first words she would tell him after having been gone for about a week? How would she react to him going out of his way to surprise her? The door soon opened and Mio Akiyama stood behind the threshold in almost exactly the same manner he thought she would see her - she was absolutely happy. His guess for the reason as to why she would be happy was off.

"Ritsu! You came!" She then said.

It was way off.

"Well, you did say you have something important to talk to me about." Ritsu said

"Come on in then. I want to..."

"Um... Mio." Ritsu said pointing to the person beside her, "You do have another guest too, you know."

Standing there beside Ritsu was Francis, standing stiffly in attention and sweat dripping from his brow. The rose in his hand shivered in anxiety as the scene unfolded. There he was, standing like an idiot ready to present the flower to her but she didn't even take notice of him immediately. Mio promptly apologized, thanked him for visiting, accepted the rose graciously and welcomed him in as well and Francis said that he understands. The truth however was that he didn't understand and that he didn't know what exactly he was supposed to understand.

Not wanting to show his confusion, Francis said all of that with a smile on his face and went on to join Mio and Ritsu into the house. He stayed there with the two girls for a while and talked as if nothing had happened but it was just a front, a front similar to the front he had put up before Yui Hirasawa and Azusa Nakano at Satoshi's house. He was scared out of his wits then. He is scared out of his wits now. The lingering fear in the back of his mind was starting to prevail - perhaps she didn't truly like him.

* * *

Then next day at the Cafeteria of the Osaka West public school, Francis and Satoshi sat together at a table as they had always done. Satoshi, as usual, had his bento box from his beloved Ui set before him which brought the drummer much happiness. It was a Monday, Satoshi declared, meaning there would definitely be extra rice in his box. He lifted the lid and true enough, there was the extra rice he had expected. Not once has Ui forgotten the weekday pattern she had set for Satoshi's lunches. Francis on the other hand had food he had prepared for himself, or rather, food that Jun and the Hirasawas had prepared - leftover lasagna which had already gone cold.

"What's with the long face, France?" Satoshi asked curiously, "Is something up?"

"Long face?" Francis gasped, "No, I..."

"Dude, I know it must be hard to come home from an extended vacation." Satoshi said, remembering Francis' storytelling earlier that day, "You have to remember, though, you can't stay in vacation your entire life. You have to face reality!"

To Francis, Satoshi's words bore more meaning than the drummer had intended.

"It's not about San Francisco." Francis said in a somber tone, "It's about me and Mio."

Satoshi had been planning to add in a few remarks here and there but kept them to himself, realizing the gravity of Francis' situation.

"Tell me, Satoshi." Francis then said, "Has Ui ever... lost interest in you?"

"Lost interest...?" Satoshi replied, "Well... We're not the perfect couple, if that's what you're thinking. We've had our share of disagreements too every now and then, but we stayed strong because we stayed true and loved each other."

"Love, eh?" Francis said skeptically, "And how exactly can you say that you love each other."

"I can say that because we're always there for each other." Satoshi said, "We're always at each other's side, even when we're not together. Also... we're just happy to be with each other. It's as simple as that."

Francis then buried his face in his hands, his fear slowly growing undeniable. Satoshi caught on to this almost instantly and asked,

"You think Mio-senpai is losing interest in you. That's what you think, right?"

Francis scratched his head then nodded. There was an air of discomfort about him that Satoshi couldn't help but notice.

"Alright then, answer this. Are you losing interest in Mio-senpai?"

The violinist's head then shot up to Satoshi's level with a look of absolute shock. Satoshi's query had landed near the root.

"It's really not hard to lose interest when you start to feel like things are going amiss." Francis replied, "I feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle... one that I'm losing ground in every moment of the day. We used to have this connection I felt... the day she and I became a couple, I had this feeling like she needed me. In turn, I needed her. Lately, that doesn't seem to be the case."

Satoshi was dumbfounded by his friend's response. He had asked that question, hoping to jolt Francis' memory and draw out some argument in defense of their relationship. Francis could muster none. Never before had Satoshi experienced something like this so he didn't know how to react. The drummer then crumpled his brow in extreme contemplation.

"France. This was something I told Ui when we were at the Cultural Festival last year. 'Whenever you feel unmotivated, think about why you're doing it in the first place.' Try to think about that. If you can't think of anything and you start feeling like you're doing something stupid, then I suggest bailing out. Think hard... dig deep. You've been together for months, so there must be something."

"She was lonely then." Francis said in a serious tone, "That day we stumbled upon each other at your house... that time we met at the mall, I saw a lonely soul... a desperate soul... a sad, cold soul, just like me. I saw that in her, and perhaps she saw that in me... we figured, together, we wouldn't be lonely."

"See...? Problem solved then." Satoshi concluded, "You see, as long as you have that link, that bond if you will, then you will never truly drift apart. If you and Mio-senpai are meant to be together, then you will be together, huh? You might just be blowing things out of proportion or something, you know?"

"Maybe you're right." Francis said, his tone mellowed by Satoshi's countermeasures, "I do think too much about these sorts of things."

"You do sometimes, yeah." Satoshi said, "I can tell since I do that a lot too."

"Hah, come to think of it, she may have just been stressed out by the upcoming Cultural Festival." Francis reasoned, "She must have asked Ritsu-senpai to come over to talk about it so she didn't notice me right away."

"That's the spirit buddy, think positive!" Satoshi cheered, "You know, Francis, doubt is one of the most potent relationship killers. Try not to get high on that stuff, y'hear?"

"I'll be sure not to." Francis replied, "Anyways, while we're on the topic of the Cultural Festival, when are we going to start practicing?"

"Starting today, of course." Satoshi grinned, "We want to make that performance awesome upon awesome after all."

"I had a feeling you were going to say that." Francis laughed, "Alright then, what about that Nagoya LIVE deal?"

"You know what? Sawa-chan hasn't told us a thing about that yet. Ritsu and I were talking about that yesterday too and we're starting to wonder if that deal will really push through or not."

"We ought to ask her then." Francis suggested, "We wouldn't want to get caught unprepared now, wouldn't we?"

Satoshi nodded, completely agreeing with Francis. The two of them went on to finish up their lunches before their lunch break ended. Satoshi savored the extra rice and the meticulously prepared side dishes Ui had made for him while Francis made do with the cold lasagna for the time being. The half-Canadian consoled himself with the fact that he would see Mio again later that day and that he would have yet another cup of the greatest tea in the world.

"Tch... I should have made doughnuts."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the 3-2 classroom in Sakura-gakou, lunch break had ended and classes were starting once again. As the English teacher began her lecture, Mio Akiyama sat in her seat and was thinking about what had happened yesterday night.

She remembered being at the entrance of her home, walking up and down the hallway as she waited for Ritsu to arrive. She was anxious to say the least as she listened to the merciless ticking of her watch's second hand and waited for the impending buzz of the doorbell. It was the night before her boyfriend would arrive from San Francisco, she thought, and she was feeling oddly determined.

Mio had invited Ritsu over, hoping to finally be able to tell her about the feelings she had started to harbor for her. Francis had been gone for almost a week already, but now was the only time she had gathered enough resolve to take a swing a second time. The first time she had tried to tell her, she was foiled by the cross-dressing Satoshi, an experience that baffles her even today. This time would be different, she thought. She had taken a bath in preparation for this meeting and even put on some of her nicer clothes too. Everything would go smoothly.

"Tonight is the night." She told herself, reinforcing her determination, "Tonight is the night... I will..."

The doorbell then rang, to her horror and delight. Just as she had hoped, Ritsu was standing behind the door. She however, wasn't alone. There he was, Francis Suzuki, the person she called boyfriend. As sweet as it sounded, it was merely a title that she had forced onto him. The two of them have been in a relationship for months now, even though Mio had expected the relationship to fail a long time ago. He was just a prop to her after all, a prop that was just a part of a larger scene she had in mind. Francis however was a prop that wouldn't walk out of the stage and Mio didn't have the heart to force him off it.

He stood there with a rose in his hand, a symbol of his resolve. Where that resolve came from, she didn't really know. In any case, his presence foiled her plans once again and the strength she had painstakingly gathered till that day had all but vanished. Thus, she welcomed the both of them into her house, keeping on the mask she had been longing to tear off - a mask that had long irritated her soul and had been the heaviest burden on her heart. She had worn that mask for the longest time, she figured. Perhaps keeping it on a little while longer wouldn't make any difference.

Back in the Sakura-gakou classroom, the English wrote down what appeared to be song lyrics* on the board and was asking for a volunteer to read it. A hand shot up to the air and the teacher promptly called her name.

"Kotobuki-san, please read the first three sentences."

Tsumugi stood up, cleared her throat and recited the English sentences with ease.

_"There is a place where the moon is under the sea. There is a place where the sun is inside a cup of tea. There is a place we can go where no one else has been but me.."_

Tsumugi's pronunciation of English was perfect and the teacher was impressed as always. The girl then took to her seat again with an exceptionally bright smile on her face and she had a good guess as to why she was happy. Here was another person she had entangled in the web of complexities she had spawned. Tsumugi and Francis were close friends who inched closer and closer each and every day and Mio knew all too well that Tsumugi too had a stake in how things would play out. Mio believed that if she wasn't part of the equation, the half-Finnish girl and the half-Canadian boy may have ended up becoming more than friends but that was not the case. She was there, ever entrenched between the two of them and she had no intention to move anytime soon.

That feint she had performed was the only certainty she had at the moment - if she acted straight then no one would suspect a thing. Therefore, she would play the boyfriend-girlfriend game she herself had started - the game she should but couldn't end. Until she had the strength to face the consequences, she would be satisfied with this cold four-way stalemate. Until then, no one would lose but no one would truly win either.

**To Be Continued**

* * *

Moonlane Gardens* - A song by the Filipino band Orange and Lemons.


	22. And So, We Went Our Separate Ways

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 22**

Monday afternoon at the Western Osaka District. Tsumugi and Ui stood side by side before the electric kettle, watching as steam slowly started wafting out of the spout. Usually, it was only Tsumugi who would stand watch over the kettle then eventually serve the tea to the members of the club, but Ui volunteered to watch alongside her this time around.

Nearly everyone in the Light Music Club saw Ui as Tsumugi's successor as the club's tea server, or at least that's what Azusa and Jun have told Ui. Indeed, Ui was the best candidate for the role. She was already used to serving tea at home and she was the one who took over for the girl while she and Francis were out on their little San Francisco trip. Now that the traditional tea-server had returned, and that the end of the seniors' last schoolyear drew closer and closer, Ui was quite eager to learn the way of the tea-server. The question on her mind was simple - what was her secret to making the perfect tea every single time?

"My secret?" Tsumugi asked surprised, setting a teabag in each of the nine tea cups she had prepared earlier, "I don't really have a secret when it comes to making tea. It is a fairly simple process after all – add hot water and you have tea. Plain and simple. I'm sure you of all people would know that, Ui-chan."

"I know the process." Ui clarified, "But I want to understand what makes your tea special."

"Ah, that's what you mean." Mugi-senpai replied, finally getting what Ui wanted to know, "Hmm… it's not really much of a secret per se, and I must say that I am still far from perfect, but I make it a point to prepare the tea according to each person's tastes."

"Each person's tastes?"

"Yes, Ui-chan." Tsumugi continued with a smile, opening up a cupboard where the condiments were stored, "It takes some time to pick up on things like these but everyone likes their tea prepared in a certain way. Let me explain."

She then drew out an array of condiments from the cupboard and set them near the teacups for Ui to see.

"For example, Riichan is a person who likes her sweets but she doesn't like her tea to be too sweet." Mugi-senpai said putting a quarter teaspoon of sugar in the club president's cup, "She doesn't like powdered cream either so I use powdered milk instead."

"Oh, okay." Replied Mugi-senpai's new apprentice, "What about onee-chan?"

"Yui loves it when her tea is sweet. And I mean, really sweet." The pianist chuckled, putting a teaspoon and a half of sugar in the guitarist's cup, "I stick with powdered cream though instead of milk since that would make it too sweet."

"I figured that would be the case." Ui giggled. Finding out everyone's preferences in tea was quite amusing for the girl. She learned that Tsumugi and Azusa like a balance between their sugar and cream, that Jun doesn't take tea with sugar and that Mio didn't like her tea to be too hot. Ui was also pleasantly surprised that she and her Satoshi had the exact same preference – a half teaspoon of sugar and nothing else. Then, there was the most intriguing concoction Tsumugi cooked up - Francis' tea. Aside from the quarter teaspoon of sugar and the half teaspoon of powdered milk, she added a third ingredient - maple syrup.

"He really loves this stuff." Tsumugi explained, "I remember him talking about maple syrup a lot when we were in Montreal, so when Okaeri collaborated with the HTT and I had to make tea for him, maple syrup was the first thing that came to mind. He loved it, so I've been sweetening his tea with maple syrup ever since!"

"I see." Ui said, "I really hope I'll be able to do this as well as you, Mugi-senpai. Azusa, Jun, Francis, Satoshi-kun and all the new members joining us next year... that will be a lot of recipes to keep in mind."

"I understand your dilemma, Ui-chan, but don't worry." The pianist reassured with a smile, "You see, as long as you prepare the tea with love, it will be appreciated."

The kettle then started to whistle, prompting Tsumugi to turn it off and start pouring water into the cups. As she did this, she meticulously stirred each cup with swift yet careful efficiency which amazed even the kitchen veteran Ui. As she was doing this, the doors of the Music Room then opened and the two boys from Osaka West walked in panting to catch their breaths.

"Sorry we're late..." Satoshi gasped, "We... hah... had to... hah... do stuff for the Press Club... hah... so we ran here... hah... as soon as we were done."

Francis looked as if he wanted to add something to that but was too tired to say anything.

"Actually, Satoshi-kun, Suzuki-kun, the both of you are just in time." Ui said with a smile, "The tea is just about ready."

"Yes." Tsumugi said, "The meeting only starts after the tea has been served after all. Am I right, Riichan?"

"Oy..." Ritsu said bitterly, "Don't get too cheeky, Mugi."

The blonde girl couldn't help but chuckle. Satoshi and Francis scuffled over to the table to take their seats and the two girls by the kettle went on to serve everyone their tea. After a sip, the two boys who had seemed so drained earlier were revitalized. It was as if they weren't tired at all.

"Man, this stuff is good!" Francis exclaimed, "You never fail to impress me Kotobuki-san, you never do!"

The tea server simply responded with a smile. She was really glad that he liked it.

"Alright then." Satoshi then said, setting down his teacup, "Now that we're all here again, we've got some business to deal with."

* * *

Attentive silence filled the room as soon as I mentioned 'business'. Everyone turned their attention to me and waited for me to speak. Only Francis kept a neutral face at that moment since he was the one who brought it up to me earlier anyways.

"We're listening, bro." My sister Ritsu said giving me the floor, "What is this business you speak of?"

"I want to talk about the Nagoya LIVE thing. I'm tired of guessing when it will be, or if we actually still have a performance to look forward to."

"I had a feeling that was what you wanted to talk about." Ritsu said, understanding why Francis and I were compelled to bring the topic up, "It's strange that Sawa-chan hasn't told us a thing since then. It was alright with me for a while, but a month's already gone by… this is too much. Something must have come up."

"Why exactly is that an issue again?" Yui-nee asked innocently, "I don't really get it."

"Sawa-chan might be hiding something from us, Yui-nee." I explained, "Maybe the deal didn't push though and she just doesn't want to tell us. We were all looking forward to it when she told us after all – it's kinda hard to burst a bubble after we all started celebrating like that."

Sporadic chatter broke out around the table. Everyone found my theory to be possible. Sawa-chan had actively kept the status of the deal secret to us for so long, what else could that mean? Action had to be taken.

"What do you propose we do then, Satoshi-kun?" Ritsu said, "You brought the topic up so you call the shots here."

"We have to know what's going on one way or another." I said with urgency, standing up for dramatic emphasis, "I say we all march on over to the Faculty Room and…"

The Music Room doors then swung up and in walked the club's instructor, Sawako Yamanaka, hoping to get her dose of afternoon tea. She saw me in the middle of a call to arms and was looking at me with a complex expression.

"I'm not disturbing anything now, am I?" She asked, wondering if she should turn back and return a little later.

"No, Sawa-chan." Ritsu said with a purposeful tone as I sat down, "As a matter of fact, we were just talking about having a little chat with you. Perfect timing, actually."

"A… a little chat?" Sawa-chan stuttered, frightened especially by the word 'timing', "What would it be about?"

"The Nagoya LIVE deal." Ritsu and I said in tandem. We had her cornered... or so we thought.

"That is a very complicated issue." Sawa-chan then said, her composure reinforced and her tone oddly serious, silencing the room once again. "Satoshi-kun, Tainaka-san. If you want to talk about that deal, then meet me at the Faculty Room after school. Just the two of you."

Foregoing her tea, she then turned around and disappeared down the staircase, leaving an air of uncertainty in the room.

"Wait a sec," I said zealously, "She can't just…"

"Satoshi-kun…, let her go." Ritsu said, sipping her tea and trying to be calm, "She told us to meet her after school. It must be something she can't tell everyone… we'll have to wait."

"I wonder what it could be about…" Ui said ponderously, "Could it be that the deal really was canceled?"

"I don't know Ui." I said scratching my head, "But Ritsu and I will find out soon enough."

On that note, the nine of us tried to resume the extended club's activities for the day but to no avail. We couldn't get Sawa-chan's cryptic invitation off our minds.

Hours passed, mostly unproductively, and the sun was starting to set. Realizing that our meeting had more or less ground to a halt after that interruption, we decided to call it a day. Everyone trickled out of the room, telling me and my sister to tell them about the deal the moment Sawa-chan spills the beans. Our companions were eager to know the truth and so were we.

Once they were gone, my sister and I went on over to the Faculty Room to confront Sawa-chan once again.

There was a strange feeling in my heart as Ritsu and I walked down the staircase. It was a feeling similar to the one I felt when I saw Yui-nee that night she had challenged me to chop onions – a curious cocktail of fear and determination. Ritsu didn't say a word, but I knew she was feeling the same way too. We did our best to ignore those feelings and walk on.

The sky had already turned into a bright orange as we reached the Faculty Room. Most of the teachers had already left and those that were still there were preparing to leave. Sawa-chan however didn't seem to be going anywhere. Just as she had promised, she stayed there and waited for me and my sister.

"Has everyone else left?" She asked, realizing that the two of us were already there

"Yes, it's just me and Satoshi-kun." Ritsu said, "Now let's get down to business."

"Right, business…" Sawa-chan muttered to herself

"The Nagoya LIVE deal was cancelled, wasn't it?" I probed, "That's why you haven't been telling us about it."

"Cancelled? No, that's not it." Sawa-chan denied, "The Nagoya LIVE deal is still effective."

"Then why haven't you been keeping us updated then, Sawa-chan?" Ritsu asked, "You're the one who knows Yagihara-san, so you should know the details of the gig."

"And I do know the details." Sawa-chan defended herself a second time, "That is why I wanted to talk to the two of you privately."

"What do you mean?" Ritsu asked, now puzzled as to why Sawa-chan was acting the way she was.

"I will admit it now, I had a feeling something like this was going to happen. I knew it from the beginning." Sawa-chan said, "I was hoping that it wouldn't happen, but… contracts are contracts."

"Just get on with it." I demanded, not liking the way she was beating around the bush

"Yagihara-san and I did our best to try to change it, but the Nagoya LIVE gig falls on the same date as the HTT-Okaeri concert at the Cultural Festival. It's already set in stone."

Then there was silence. Neither Ritsu nor I could believe what we had just heard.

"Y… you can't be serious." Ritsu said, "You have got to be joking, right?"

"I'm dead serious." Sawa-chan said firmly, "Why would I joke about something like this?"

"No… this can't be." Ritsu said, desperation slowly taking over her thoughts, "No! Sawa-chan! How could you do this to us?"

"I…"

"Forget the fact that you kept us uninformed until now." Ritsu continued, her temper rising "If you were that suspicious about it, then why did you even give us the offer in the first place? Now we've got a pretty damn hard choice to make!"

"Tainaka-san, you two would have had to make a choice regardless." Sawa-chan countered, "Even If I had told you then, you would still have to make a decision. Which is more important, a rare opportunity to appear on a popular TV or the chance to perform at Cultural Festival here in Sakura-gakou one last time? It would have been a tough decision then. It is still a tough decision now."

Sawa-chan's response thwarted Ritsu's offensive, making the sharp words she had been compelled to say retreat. The teacher, seeing that Ritsu had been pacified, then went on to explain herself.

"I understand that what I did was wrong." Sawa-chan said, "I had hoped that it would play out differently, but I bet on the wrong horse. However, you kids have already invested a lot for the upcoming Cultural Festival, am I correct? You've been practicing day in and day out even while Suzuki-kun and Kotobuki-san were abroad. It's not too late to decline the offer. I'm sure Yagihara-san will understand."

Sawa-chan may have said it like that, but the situation was much more complicated than that. Even though we had been focused on the Cultural Festival, we were all hoping to perform on TV. Azusa, Ui and Jun, the future Light Music Club troika, all dreamed of performing on Nagoya LIVE while Ritsu and I knew that that performance would be the threshold to finally making our mark on the music industry. Nagoya LIVE would be running its last season, or at least the last season featuring Yagihara-san and Kashiwasa-san, people that Sawa-chan presumably knew. With that being said, it was our last chance to perform sponsored by the show hosts themselves. Indeed, there was a lot to consider.

"Give us some time, Sawa-chan." Ritsu said, rubbing her forehead, "We need some time to think."

The teacher nodded, and let us go for now. This wasn't a situation we could resolve on the fly and Sawa-chan understood that all too well. Ritsu and I left the school dispirited and headed on home. still shocked by the situation we had found ourselves in. However, at the very least, we now understood why Sawa-chan was hesitant to talk about it in front of everyone else. It would have caused quite a commotion. As it stands, it wouldn't be a good idea to tell everyone else about it... at least not until we can make a proper decision. Before long, we reached our house and we sank into the living room sofa, staring dejectedly into the ceiling.

"You two seem under the weather." Dad then said, a little bit concerned, "Something to do with your club?"

The two of us nodded in response. He then sat with us in the living room and heard our story out.

"Why don't you two talk about it with the Hirasawas?" Dad suggested

"You mean Ui and Yui?" Ritsu asked

"Yes." Dad said, "Your mom and I would love to try to help you out, but truth be told, I don't know how we could be of assistance. Yui-chan and Ui-chan on the other hand would probably be able to. They are your band mates after all, and not to mention, part of our family too."

Dad then checked his wristwatch and said,

"Your mom hasn't started making dinner yet, so why don't you two have dinner with the Hirasawas?"

"Would that be alright?" I asked

"Yeah. Go ahead!" Dad prodded, "Satoshi-kun must be looking forward to having some of Ui-chan's cooking after all! So, go on. I'll cover for you two."

"Thanks dad!"

I then fished out my cellphone and gave Ui a call.

"Satoshi-kun!" Ui said, happy that I gave her a call, "So, what's going on?"

"Ui, would it be alright if Ritsu and I came over for dinner?"

* * *

Later that night, Ritsu and I arrived at the doorstep of the Hirasawa household and were graciously welcomed by the two girls. Food had already been prepared for us too and it looked nothing short of a feast.

"Onee-chan made half of the food today." Ui then pointed out, "We didn't expect to have guests today and I didn't prepare enough for four so onee-chan made some more."

"That's right!" Yui-nee exclaimed proudly in her ever amusing tone, "So come on in! You guys will love it!"

Ritsu and I stepped into the house and sat together with the Hirasawas at their dinner table. We said our graces and started eating.

"What brings the two of you here today?" Yui-nee asked, "I'm sure you guys didn't just go here for our pork cutlet. Is it something to do with the Nagoya LIVE thingy?"

Yui-nee's query was oddly perceptive.

"Yeah." Ritsu said, scratching her face hesitantly.

"You already talked with Sawa-chan then." Ui said excitedly, "What did she say? The deal couldn't have been cancelled now, could it? It would be a shame if it was."

"It wasn't cancelled," Ritsu said, reiterating Sawa-chan's words, "Rather, there was a bit of a complication."

"Complication…?" Ui asked, "What sort of complication?"

Ritsu and I looked at each other, not exactly wanting to be the one to break it out to the two. However, someone had to do it so I stepped up to the plate.

"The Nagoya LIVE performance and the HTT-Okaeri concert at the Cultural Festival falls on the same date. We now have to decide which one we want to attend."

The smiles on the Hirasawas' faces then crumbled into looks of worry.

"Not an easy choice to make, huh?" Ritsu then said, "That's why Sawa-chan didn't want to talk about it out in the open. That's why we couldn't tell everyone about it immediately either. So we came to you two. Satoshi-kun and I need your help."

The dinner table then fell silent as we tried to figure something out. It wasn't surprising to see that the two of them were just as stumped as we were. What surprised us was the sudden solution Yui-nee came up with.

"Why don't we do both?" Yui-nee then said, cheering up somewhat, "What do you think about that?"

"Eh? Don't be silly, Yui." Ritsu chuckled, "We can't be at two different places at the same time."

"Yes we can!" Yui-nee argued, "We are two bands after all! The HTT can perform at the Cultural Festival and Okaeri can perform at Nagoya!"

"Wow, Yui. That might actually work!" Ritsu said, amazed by Yui-nee's surprisingly sharp logic, "We always performed side by side, so I totally forgot about that."

"Would that really be alright, though?" I asked, "I'm pretty sure the band Nagoya LIVE really wants to feature is the HTT, not Okaeri… and I'm totally fine with performing with the HTT at the Cultural Festival. Okaeri doesn't have to go."

"Satoshi-kun, didn't you just say that this was an opportunity of a lifetime?" Ritsu said, "If the HTT was the only band they wanted the feature, they wouldn't have invited Okaeri to come along too. Okaeri is a solid band on its own, you know. Also, there's absolutely no way in the world the HTT would miss the Cultural Festival, especially since this is our last. Okaeri on the other hand is free."

Though it was the opportunity of a lifetime, both Ui and I weren't exactly keen on going to Nagoya on our own.

"Don't worry Satoshi-kun, Ui, you guys can pull this off. I believe in you and your friends." Yui-nee then reassured, "You have to learn to stand up on your own two feet, as a band that is. We won't always be together in gigs, you know. After graduation, we won't be together much at all…"

Ritsu nodded, completely agreeing with Yui-nee.

"So I've made my decision, Satoshi-kun, Ui-chan." Ritsu concluded, "The HTT will stay in Osaka. What about Okaeri?"

"This is so sudden…" I said, at a loss for words, "I can't just…"

"Satoshi-kun, you're the leader of Okaeri." Ritsu then said, "You have to make the call."

"What do you think, Satoshi-kun?" Ui asked, looking at me with anticipation, "Whatever you choose to do, I will follow."

Closing my eyes, I took a moment to think. It wasn't very often that a big decision was left up to me. Even during the height of the Natsufest blitz, it was Ritsu who made the big decisions for the club. I had to remember though that I was the leader of Okaeri. I shouldn't fear making decisions. Doing so would only hinder us. Besides, I had promised to help Ui pursue her dream of becoming an artist and to be at her side all the way. I wasn't going to back down on that promise.

"We're going to Nagoya." I said firmly, "We can't miss that opportunity."

"It's settled then." Ritsu said conclusively, "We will be going our separate ways."

* * *

My sister and I went home after finishing dinner at the Hirasawa household. Now that a decision had been reached, we promptly told the rest of our respective wards what the issue earlier with Sawa-chan was about. Naturally, they were disappointed that we wouldn't be able to juggle both performances, but that was something beyond our control. We then told Sawa-chan about our decision. It was unusual for us to opt to slit up, she noted, but it was reasonable.

The next day, at the daily practice session at the Music Room, the teacher openly apologized for her unwise gambit. To her relief, the nine of us didn't take the situation against her. Still, she insisted that she help us out in any way we can and the next month was devoted to making up for those changes in our plan.

Since the HTT had a substantially larger timeslot to fill, they had to present their entire repertoire to date. They even had to write up some songs as reserves, in case they were asked for an encore. After all the attention the HTT had gotten in the past few years, the encore was already to be expected.

Okaeri too had a number of preparations to do for the upcoming Nagoya trip. Train tickets, lodging, luggage and food, we had to prepare all of these on our own with some help from Sawa-chan. It was tough work, even for Francis who did that sort of thing often, but we had to learn to do this too. On top of that, we also had to choose the two songs we wanted to present. We decided to go with Travelers, a fitting song for our situation, for the first song and a new song as well. Ritsu and Yui-nee had told us to put our best feet forward so we were pulling out all the stops.

It wasn't the best case scenario, but both bands worked hard to make the most out of it.

* * *

The days flew on by and the rehearsals for the four seniors' rendition of Romeo and Juliet picked up in pace. Since the Romeo and Juliet play would be held the day before the concert, Jun, Francis, Ui and I would be able to watch the play before we left the prefecture. Because of that, the seniors were compelled to put on a show a show for us and devoted a lot of time to practicing with their classmates. The seniors spent less time practicing songs in the music room and more time rehearsing lines in the 3-2 classroom. Ritsu said that they would polish their performance until it couldn't be polished anymore as a send-off gift for when we left for Nagoya. We appreciated the gesture, but Azusa wasn't exactly happy with the seniors' shift in attention.

"At this rate, we won't get any practice done for the concert." Azusa complained as the five of us met at the music room one day. "The performance day is drawing near too…"

True enough, Ritsu had already informed us that she, Yui-nee, Mio-senpai and Mugi-senpai wouldn't be able to make it to practice that day. They didn't attend practice yesterday and the day before that. There was also a good chance that the next few days would follow that pattern, so Azusa had the right to be worried.

"They'll be fine." Ui reassured as she poured a cup of tea for the HTT's second guitarist, complete with the balance of sugar and cream Azusa liked, "Onee-chan and the rest value the concert too. They all did agree to stay here in Osaka to perform too, mind you."

"Ui is right." I added, "This last Cultural Festival concert means a lot to them. Both Yui-nee and Ritsu missed the last one because they got sick, as you might remember, so there's no way they would neglect their last one."

"That's true." Azusa said, calming down a little bit

"Onee-chan and the seniors have a tough road ahead of them." Ui then said, "If only my band mates and I could be here for them at the performance too, then we would. However, we have already decided on the path we will take. So we're counting on you to be there for them, Azusa. They need you to be strong now… and Jun and I will need you to be strong in the future too! The three of us are going to re-organize the Light Music Club next year, right?"

"Yeah." Azusa nodded, traces of vigor now in her voice, "We'll make them proud."

With that declaration, Azusa decided to trust in the dedication of the HTT which had gotten them through crises time and time again. While the seniors were still busy with their play, she was satisfied with lending a hand to us during our practices. Once or twice, she would lend her guitar, a Fender Mustang named 'Muttan' (by Yui-nee, no less) as well, acting as a second guitar for our songs.

It was a fun practice that let us hear what our songs would sound like if Okaeri had a second guitarist. Indeed, with two guitarists, a drummer, a bassist and a violinist, it sounded nothing short of amazing.

"The second guitar really does make the songs sound awesome, eh?" Francis said, still amazed by the addition of the fifth instrument, "Hey, Nakano-san, would it be alright if I borrowed Muttan for a while?"

"Sure, why not?" Azusa said, taking off her guitar and handing it to Francis, "Do you know how to play?"

"Playing the violin is sort of similar to playing the guitar." Francis said, playing a few major chords with ease, "Well, the fretting part at least. It's just the picking I have to get used to."

Ui, Azusa and I were surprised, but Jun wasn't very much so.

"He frequents the music store to try out guitars." Jun explained, "He's been doing that since three years ago."

"Why don't you just buy a guitar then?" I asked, "Playing the guitar and the violin would be awesome! It would give Okaeri some versatility."

"I'd like to buy a guitar, but frankly, I'm short on cash." Francis said bitterly, "That's why I've been working my butt off at the local newspaper, but the pay isn't too big."

"Ah…"

"Let's put that aside for now though." Francis said, "How about a run through of Wing Your Way?"

Intrigued by Francis' gusto, we obliged. I laid down the beat and we started to play the song that won Okaeri a slot to perform in Natsufest. Compared to our three guitarists, namely Ui, Azusa and Yui-nee, Francis wasn't as skilled. His tempo and rhythm however were on the money. His strumming wasn't fancy, but it worked great with the rest of the band especially on the overdriven parts. He would have made a good supporting guitarist, if only he had the cash. After the song, he returned the guitar to Azusa and we called it a day.

"Dude, that was wicked!" I exclaimed, talking to Francis as he set Fraulein in her violin case, "When you do have enough money, you should definitely pick up a guitar!"

"You think so?" Francis laughed, "Did I sound cool?"

"Why are you asking _me_ that question?"

"Fine, let me rephrase that." Francis grunted, "Do you think Mio would find it cool if I picked up the electric guitar?"

"Still thinking about that?" I asked, "Didn't we already talk about this?"

"Yeah…" Francis shrugged, "But she did say she liked it when I played the guitar. Since you guys liked it too, maybe it could be like plus points for me, eh?"

Hearing him talk like this, I knew that derailing his train of thought would be an impossible task.

"So what model are you looking at, France?" I then asked, "You seemed to like the feel of the Fender Mustang."

"Fenders are what I'm looking at. The Mustang and the Telecaster are nice, but I prefer the Stratocaster."

"Squier?"

"No, buddy. The real thing."

"The real thing? That guitar costs 300,000 kinsu. Plus tax!"

"That's why I haven't been able to save enough yet." Francis said, "I don't have a thing against the Squier line and Tele is an excellent guitar in Ui's hands, but it's the real Stratocaster or bust for me."

"I've already tried talking him out of it." Jun then said, "It doesn't work."

Apparently, Jun had overheard the two of us talking.

"Well, just 100,000 kinsu more and I'll have that Strat." Francis said, "Next month's allowance advance should cover it. I might even have it before we go to Nagoya!"

Before we go to Nagoya? That would be one hell of a miracle if he pulls that off. If ever he did get a guitar, we'd have a lot of adjustments to make. It's nothing we couldn't handle with a quick practice session. He was also planning to keep it a secret from the girls of the HTT, saying he wanted to surprise Mio when he appeared with a guitar on TV. However, for some strange reason, I felt like there was more to it than that. I just couldn't figure out what.

* * *

The day the seniors performed Romeo and Juliet then came before we knew it. Ui, Jun, Azusa, Francis and I were seated at the front row of the Sakura-gakou auditorium. The five of us sat in almost complete darkness waiting for the play to begin.

According to Mugi-senpai, who apparently did take up the role of director, Class 3-2 worked exceptionally hard to pull together the play. True enough, the moment the curtains were drawn and the spotlights turned on, the actors were completely in character and the lines were delivered passionately and believably.

It was an enjoyable production, thanks to the great acting and the equally great handiwork of the set and the costumes. The tired-looking Sawa-chan I caught watching from the wings proved the latter. Of course, there were moments of anxiety like when Yui-nee almost sneezed and when they used the Rosetta stone for Juliet's grave, but they pulled through.

"That was such a nice play!" Ui said, wiping a tear from her eye, "The emotion… it was just amazing!"

"It actually went well." I said agreeably, "What do you think France? Did you like seeing Mio-senpai in that costume of hers?"

There was no response.

"France?"

Still no response.

Turning to him, I saw the half-Canadian leaning to one side of his seat and in deep thought. When he saw that I was looking at him funny, he replied with a very generic 'It was okay', something I couldn't accept. I hated Shakespeare with a passion, but I enjoyed this particular production. Did he even watch the play at all?

Not minding that for now, the five of us went on over to the backstage to meet with the dramatis personae.

"So whatcha think, Satoshi-kun?" Ritsu asked, "Your cute, big sister was pretty good, huh?"

"Yeah, actually." I said, "You actually acted like a girl."

Ritsu promptly smacked my shoulder and the two of us laughed.

"You lot will be headed for the train station soon, huh?" Ritsu then said, looking at the clock hanging from the wall, "It's almost time."

"We will be heading on over there after this." I said, "We also have to pick up our instruments first though. Luckily for me, drumsticks are all I have to bring."

"That's why it's good to be a drummer, Satosih-kun." Ritsu winked.

"I'll probably walk with Ui when she goes to pick up Tele though. I have to get my luggage too."

"Well, you and Ui better get moving." Ritsu said, "You wouldn't want to be late for your train now. Suzuki-kun already left, if you haven't noticed – he's quite the punctual one, huh?"

"Francis did?"

That was strange… he left without even saying a word. On top of that, Jun was still with Ui, chatting with Yui-nee and Mugi-senpai backstage. He probably wanted to go early since a violin case was pretty hard to lug around. True enough, Jun received a text message telling her just that. She and Ui then decided to get going.

"So this is good bye for now, sis." I said before we left, "We won't let you down."

"I'm sure you won't." Ritsu then said, hugging me all of the sudden, "Stay safe now. Call me sappy, but I'll miss you little bro. We'll all be rooting for you."

"I'll miss you too, big sis." I said, returning the favor, "But we'll be back. All of us. I promise. We are one big family, remember?"

Ui, Jun and I bid everyone farewell and we headed on over to our houses to pick up our things. Half an hour later, the three of us met again at the train station but Francis was still noticeably absent.

"What is taking him so long?" Jun thought out loud, "Did he get lost or something?"

"I'm here, I'm here!" Francis then called out, jogging to where we were, "I was actually just looking for you guys." He said, "Are you guys ready to go?"

He seemed lighthearted again all of the sudden.

"We are." I said as we lined up to wait for our train, "Are you?"

"Yeah." Francis said happily, "And guess what, Satoshi."

"What is it?"

"Stra-to-cas-ter, baby!"

"Whoa! Dude, you really got it?"

"Yeah man!" Francis said happily, "I finally bought it."

"What about Fraulein, though?" I asked, not seeing the familiarly old violin case anywhere around, "You didn't bring her?"

"I... uh..."

"You what...?"

"It's nothing. Don't mind it."

"How can it be nothing?" I deduced, "You've been acting strange since a while ago."

"You noticed that, eh?" Francis sighed, "Well, fine, I won't lie to you. Fraulein isn't mine anymore."

"Huh? What are you saying, France?"

"I sold her."

**To Be Continued**


	23. Is This Really What We Want?

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 23**

It was Wednesday evening at the Sakura-gakou campus. Though the last of the Cultural Festival events had ended hours ago and the school gates were already closed, the five members of the Hokago Tea Time were gathered together in the school's music room. Like a lot of the other school club members who had a part in the Festival, the girls had opted to stay at school for the night for the sake of staying at school at night. It wasn't very often that they got to hang around their beloved campus in the evening after all, and the two-day span of the Cultural Festival was one of those rare opportunities.

Having already exhausted themselves by going around the moonlit school ground, the five of them decided to take a breather and just chill in their club headquarters. They still had to move the furniture and instruments around to lay down their sleeping bags, after all. Naturally, the girls chattered as they did this, talking about the Romeo and Juliet play which had turned out to be a monumental success (thanks to Tsumugi's broad knowledge of all things Shakespeare and some countermeasures during the play), their upcoming performance at the Auditorium the next day and the upcoming appearance of their fellow band Okaeri on Nagoya LIVE.

Whenever it came to the latter topic, Azusa Nakano was the most enthusiastic of the five. She was a die-hard fan of the show after all and to see her friends perform there was like a dream come true. The only thing that would have made that particular dream even better would have been to actually be there in Nagoya with her friends but her loyalty lies with Hokago Tea Time.

She remembers the time she first got word of the members of Okaeri going to Nagoya on their own and she was disappointed to say the least. Somewhere down the line, Ritsu then asked the HTT's second guitarist if she wanted to tag along with her four friends who were at the same year level as her. Ritsu even added that the last Cultural Festival performance wasn't something Azusa had to get caught up in. The club president believed that Azusa would be compelled to go with her peers so she was shocked when Azusa declared that she would stay with them. Azusa made a promise with Ui, after all, to be there for the senior Light Music Club members and to be strong. Azusa was intent on doing so and was firm in tone when she said she was staying put.

Next to Azusa, Yui Hirasawa was the most excited for Okaeri. The HTT's lead guitarist-slash-vocalist is immeasurably proud of her little sister Ui who plays the same role as she does in Okaeri. Her eyes would light up like stars as she spoke and she waves her arms around and does some odd emphatic poses just to get her point through. Knowing that her 'adopted' little brother Satoshi would be taking care of Ui too made her imagine what the two of them could accomplish with the two Suzukis. The sky would not be the limit for them, she believed, and Ritsu and Tsumugi agreed.

Mio on the other hand was silently worried. It wasn't because she didn't trust the talent of the members of Okaeri or that she was anxious to perform the next day. It was because of her 'boyfriend' Francis' disappearing act earlier that day that only she, Ritsu and Tsumugi noticed. Ritsu didn't think much of it and Tsumugi was a tad bit puzzled, but Mio was worried. Mio had a gut wrenching feeling that something had gone horribly wrong and she couldn't help but think that she had something to do with it.

Why her boyfriend would go off on his own without saying a word is one thing that puzzled her. The fact that he didn't even talk to Tsumugi puzzled her even more. She would understand if he was pissed at her for acting the way she had acted when he and Ritsu had come over and the months before that but never would she ever think that he would avoid Tsumugi. Something was wrong. She could feel it, but couldn't quite figure out what it was.

It was at around that time that Tsumugi's cellphone rang. She got up and went out of the (extremely) noisy Music Room to pick up. It was a call from her father who said that he and her mother wanted to know the play went. The girl said that it turned out quite well and was glad that her parents gave her a call even though they were travelling from prefecture to prefecture to attend to their fast-growing business ventures.

"So, anyways Tsumugi my dear, have I got some news for you!" Mr. Kotobuki then said, "Our next performance abroad will be in Helsinki!"

"Really!" Tsumugi gasped, bursting with delight, "That's great news!"

"And there's more!" Her father added, "Since you've been recommending him for so long, I've decided to give Suzuki-kun a shot at being the head of the strings section."

"Why, I'm sure he'll appreciate the promotion, father." Tsumugi said, "You're the best!"

"Well, that boy has worked hard in the Orchestra and has performed really well in Montreal and San Francisco." Mr. Kotobuki explained, "We'll see how he adjusts to this change."

"He'll be fine." Tsumugi reassured, "I believe in him."

"Glad to hear it then." Mr. Kotobuki said, "So please do tell Suzuki-kun about this. I would have told him myself if I had his phone number."

"I'll be sure to do that."

The father and daughter bid each other farewell and Tsumugi quickly dialed up Francis' phone number, hoping to tell the half-Canadian the good news while it was still hot off the press. To her dissatisfaction though, Francis' phone didn't have signal beyond the prefecture and her call didn't reach him.

'That's okay' the girl thought, 'I'll tell him when he gets back.'

Tsumugi then held the phone close to her heart as she pictured herself at the stage of the Finnish National Opera House, playing a grand piano before a sea of her countrymen and women. Then, standing beside her would be that half-Canadian boy that had been in her dreams for two long years now, even after he had become Mio's, holding his violin Fraulein and her bow firmly in hand.

"That is enough for me."

* * *

Meanwhile on the train headed for Nagoya, Ui, Jun and I sat around Francis and asked him what the hell was going through his head when he decided to sell his violin.

"It's not like I wanted to sell Fraulein." Francis said, "If there was another way, I would have done something else, but that was my only option. I had to let her go."

"Didn't you say you were going to get an advance from your parents?" I then asked, "That advance was supposed to cover the 100,000 kinsu."

"That's what I thought too." Francis said, "I got the 100,000 advance, yes, but not all of it was for my allowance, you know. Half of it went to pay for our home loans here in Japan. A quarter of it went to our bills. The remaining 25,000 was split between me and Jun."

"But you gave me 25,000." Jun said, remembering that she had gotten an exceptionally bigger allowance than usual. "You're saying you gave it all to me."

"I did." Francis said, "Fraulein sold for 125,000, and I only needed 100,000. So you could have the remainder of the advance."

"I still think it's wrong…" Jun said unhappily, "Fraulein is a family heirloom. Great gramps found it in Belgium while fighting the Second Reich, for crying out loud!"

"I should have sold her for more, then?"

"Are you stupid?" Jun shouted, drawing the attention of the people on the train, "Don't you see the value things like those hold? Those sorts of things are priceless!"

"Please calm down, Jun." Ui then said, worried that she was getting too loud. Jun bitterly restrained herself from saying anything else but glared at her brother, demanding an apology – an apology that Francis eventually gave.

"Alright… what I did was wrong." Francis said, "But it's not like I don't value her. And, it's not like I don't plan to get her back. Give me a month or two and I'll get her back."

"You'd better." Jun said stubbornly, "What would our parents say when they find out about this… what would Mugi-senpai say about this?"

"Mugi-senpai? You mean Kotobuki-san?" Francis asked, wondering how she fit into the equation. Jun slapped her face in disbelief.

"Suzuki-kun…" Ui then said, providing a more calm voice to explain it to him, "You and Mugi-senpai have been going abroad with the Osaka Philharmonic for two years now. Since you haven't told anyone but us, Mugi-senpai would be shocked that you did something like this."

"I know, I know." Francis said, already very uncomfortable with the subject matter, "But what's done is done. Let's work with what we have for now and I'll deal with that problem later."

"Francis is right." I then said, "It's no use bickering about what shouldn't and should have been done. Right now, we have a TV appearance to prepare for. We need to get our act together."

"Thanks Satoshi." Francis said

"But the moment we get back to Osaka, you'd better get Fraulein back." I said, "I'll pitch in some cash and I'll get Ritsu to pitch in too."

"Same here." Ui added, "Onee-chan and I will help out with what we can too!"

"See, bro?" Jun then said, "You could have asked for help. Don't just go about doing things on your own like that."

"I know now." Francis said, "Thanks guys. I don't know what else to say."

Though the atmosphere about us had lightened a few notches, I still couldn't help but feel uneasy about this situation. For the longest of time, I've had my doubts about Francis and Mio's relationship. Even when it was still rainbows and butterflies between them, I felt some sort of disconnect between them. Then, there was that little confession she had given me when she thought I was Ritsu. On top of all of that, there was a blatant issue of common sense.

The mere fact that Francis has to resort to such desperate means just to be noticed a little bit more by Mio doesn't say a lot of good thinks about their relationship. Being the dude's best friend, I've talked to him about this a couple of times. I remembered the first time I spoke to him, how he defended their relationship with gusto. As the days, weeks and months went on by, that gusto withered. The last time we talked, he couldn't defend it at all. He's dug himself into a very deep ditch, that Francis. I just wonder if he truly understands what's at stake here. I for one don't have a clue. All I can do now is wish him well and hope for the best.

* * *

The sky had become pitch black once our train got to Nagoya and the city lights shimmered as far as the eye could see. As the train slowed down on the approach to the station, we were greeted by a tall billboard on a prominent building featuring 'Yagihara-sama' and 'Kashiwara-tan', the hosts of the popular Nagoya LIVE. Coincidentally, the moment we stepped out of the train, the two hosts themselves came out to meet us at the platform in the flesh. Just as Yagihara-san had done during Natsufest, he and Sarina Kashiwara were both dressed normally and were as plain as plain could be. They looked nothing like their images on the billboard and it was intentional.

"Alright then." Yagihara-san said, shaking our hands one by one, "Welcome to Nagoya, you guys. We're glad you were able to make it."

"It's a shame that the HTT couldn't make it." Kashiwara-san added, "But we're more than happy to feature Okaeri in our show!"

"And we're glad to be here, Yagihara-san, Kashiwara-san." I said, speaking on behalf of everyone, "So, tell us about this thing again, if you don't mind."

"Certainly." Yagihara-san said, clearing his throat to explain the specifics of our TV appearance. Nagoya LIVE started at 8PM sharp, but the segment that featured us would be towards the end of the show. Before that though, there was going to be a sound check we would have to attend. It was a fairly standard set-up, not too different from the regular gig.

"However, Sarina-chan and I are fans of your band." Yagihara-san then said, "And we were wondering if we could hear a sample of it tonight. There's a studio downtown we could rent for a half-hour. If that's alright with you guys."

"An advanced screening, huh?" I said, turning to my band mates, "What do you say guys? It'd be a good way to warm up for tomorrow and to get used to Francis' little switcheroo."

"Let's do it." Ui said enthusiastically, "Yagihara-san and Kashiwara-san seem to be looking forward to it."

"Alright then." I told the two hosts, "We'll play for you guys."

"Splendid!" Kashiwara-san said, absolutely pleased by our decision, "Shoichi-kun has been telling me a lot about Okaeri, you see. Rarely does he ever get worked up over new bands and indies but you guys had him talking."

"Okaeri's a good band. What can I say?" Yagihara-san shrugged, "You'll love them too, Sarina-chan. You have my word."

"Oh, you! You're making me even more excited!" Kashiwara-san squeaked lovingly. For some odd reason, the way this pair acted reminded me of the way Francis and Mugi-senpai acted around each other. It was an interesting comparison.

"But wait a sec…" Yagihara-san said as he laid his eyes on Francis, "Where's your violin, kiddo?"

"It's a long story." Francis said, "But I'll be playing electric guitar for now."

"Is that so?" Yagihara-san said ponderously. Not minding that for now, the four of us then followed the two hosts through the city and eventually reached the studio they were talking about. Luckily for us, the studio was quite close to the cheap hotel we had booked and wasn't too far from the main studio of Nagoya LIVE either. If we were staying for more than two days, then this would have been a good place to practice.

Yagihara-san and Kashiwara-san paid for the 30-minute studio session and the four of us got to work. It was the first time we had a look at Francis' new guitar and she was a beautiful guitar at that. The sleek black body, the pearl white pickguard, the well defined pickups and knobs, the rosewood neck and the clear imprint on the headstock that read 'Fender Stratocaster'. She was definitely a looker. At least I now understood why Francis couldn't look at any other guitar.

The half-Canadian then fretted the strings and strummed, making the guitar sing a G-major. For some reason, it didn't sound the way I thought it would sound. It wasn't tuned properly.

"The first E string is flat by a note and a half." Ui said, finding the problem immediately, "The A and D strings are sharp by a half note each too."

"Wow, you thought that our pretty quickly." Francis said, making the necessary tone adjustments, "How did you know?"

"Onee-chan taught me how to tune guitars by ear." Ui explained, "It doesn't take me long to see that something is amiss."

Though Francis appreciated her help, he felt that Ui's words had more edge to them than he thought they would.

"So let's get started, shall we?" Jun said, plugging her bass into the studio amps. Yagihara-san and Kashiwara-san then cheered us on and we started playing our song.

'Travelers' was the song we showed them that night, the same song Yagihara-san must have heard at Natsufest. Listening to the song from behind the studio drum kit as we played, there was a definite difference in the way the song sounded. Switching a violin for an electric guitar will do that, obviously, but it didn't sound too bad. In fact, it sounded mighty nice. Francis played the violin parts on the electric guitar with relative ease.

Everyone else adapted to the new composition easily as well. Jun and I, being the bassline didn't have to change much to accommodate the second guitar and Ui let Francis handle the overdriven rhythm, leaving Ui to the semi-acoustic leads she enjoyed doing. We had a working version in two run-throughs and our two hosts were up on their feet, cheering and dancing by the third time. They were really enjoying it.

Our song ended and we were met with much amazed applause.

"You lot are just as talented as Shoichi-kun says." Kashiwara-san said with a smile, "I'm sure my father will be pleased to meet you all."

"Father?" I asked, wondering what she was talking about

"My father is the CEO of a major recording label." Kashiwara-san then said, "And, he's on the board of directors of a company that owns the TV station Nagoya LIVE is under."

"Wow, really?" Jun gasped

"Crazy, huh?" Yagihara-san said, "Didn't believe it at first either when I found out that she was my co-host, but it's true."

"So, you're getting married to an extremely rich girl?" Francis then asked, noting the ring on his ring finger. Yagihara-san then went closer to Francis to whisper his response.

"Yes and no." Yagihara-san said to the oddly curious Francis, "She is rich in the sense that her family owns a lot of assets, but like I said, she doesn't act like a prima donna. I don't look at her that way either. Her father however was really pissed off at me at the start. In fact… he still won't talk to me, or even Sarina-chan after we told him. Nothing I can do about that."

"Yeah… some rich people often have a bias against poor people." Francis replied

"But it didn't matter to me. I loved her and she loved me." Yagihara-san said with a smile, "I just wanted to be with her and that was all I needed to know."

"Really now …?" Francis said in a pondering tone

"So, yeah." Yagihara-san then said, getting back to the original topic, "Remember that thing I said about 'the next big thing'? It is Mr. Kashiwara's company that was looking for prospects and Okaeri and the HTT are on the top of the list."

"Wait a second." Ui said, trying to get around what he meant, "So you're saying, we're going to be recording artists?"

"You guys are on the road to becoming recording artists." Kashiwara-san clarified, "The TV appearance would be a way for my father and his company to assess you guys. Hopefully, after tomorrow, you guys will get signed. With the way you just performed and the way Shoichi-kun raves about you guys, there's a very good chance you will catch my father's eye."

"Just Okaeri?" I then asked

"For now, yes." Kashiwara-san said, "You're thinking about your big sister's band too, aren't you Tainaka-kun?"

Of course I was thinking about my big sister's band. It was my big sister's dream that helped bring us here after all. If it weren't for her, the Light Music Club wouldn't have been resurrected. And if it weren't for her tough decision back at home, we wouldn't be standing here right now.

"If there was a way we could include them in the deal too, then I would lobby for it." Kashiwara-san said, "But my father wants to see how the artist or band performs on TV before he signs them. It's his policy."

"Rest assured though," Yagihara-san said, "Sarina-chan and I will give the HTT their shot at it too. We won't be the hosts anymore, but we'll have the next hosts of Nagoya LIVE feature the HTT too, so it will be fair game. If we're lucky, they might even be the ones to open the new season!"

"Thank you very much, Yagihara-san, Kashiwara-san." Ui then said, giving the two of them a deep bow, "And thank you for keeping my sister and her band in mind too!"

"No problem, Hirasawa-san." Yagihara-san said, "Sarina-chan and I can't disappoint Sawa-chan's wards now, can we?"

On that note, we packed up our instruments and we parted ways with the hosts. We then went on to our hotel to check in. We had reserved two rooms for that outing, one for the girls and one for us boys. Worn out by the long distance train ride and the subsequent impromptu practice session with the hosts, we only had enough energy to check out each other's rooms and decide which take-out food we should order before starting to feel drowsy. We had our food, had our baths then sank into our respective beds.

"Gah…" I groaned, feeling the springs of the cheap bed pressing against my back, "You call this a two-star hotel? Feels like a one."

"Well, you can't complain when you're strapped for cash." Francis replied, not minding his hard bed. "We all agreed on this, after all."

"Yeah, well I sure hope Ui's alright with this." I muttered, "I wouldn't want her to be uncomfortable now."

"Why don't you go and ask her if she wants to use you as a pillow?"

"I might just go and do that!"

The two of us then laughed.

"Hey, Satoshi." Francis then said, sitting upright, "You up for a duel?"

"Hanafuda again?"

"What else?" Francis said, taking out his deck and shuffling like a boss, "Let's draw a card to determine the dealer."

The two of us drew a card each and revealed them at the same time.

"March." I said, revealing a card with cherry blossoms and a curtain of ribbons

"Tch, October." Francis grumbled, revealing a card with a deer walking past some maple leaves. "You're the dealer, bro."

My friend took back the cards and reshuffled them into the deck. He then set the cards up for the game and we started to play. Though Hanafuda was a relatively quick game to play, we decided to only play six rounds, or in game terms – six months. The winner would be the one with the most points at the end of the sixth month.

The two of us talked as we played, chatting in between our turn phases. It had been a while since the two of us played Hanafuda again, he said. We used to play the game at school during downtime in the Press Club, times when Solitaire just wouldn't suffice. It was a battle of honor and glory, he would say as he shuffled the cards skillfully. Whenever he played Hanafuda, it was always as if there was a lot on the line. I on the other hand just saw it as a game. We didn't play with a wager, after all, so I had nothing to lose.

And lose, I did. I lost a lot of games to this guy with an average point margin of at least ten points in twelve rounds. Ui and Jun didn't fare well either whenever they dueled with Francis. He was a solid player with a sound strategy and took up every opportunity he had to advance his score. Taking that into account, it made me wonder why in the heck Mugi-senpai handed him his ass fairly regularly. Jun, Ui and I combined have won about five games against Francis. Mugi-senpai had won over forty times.

"She's just a better player than I am." Francis said as he played, "Boar-deer-butterfly combo. Five points, koi-koi."

Better player than him, he says. However, I remember the time that Francis had that exact combo he had just played in his hands; the boar roaming through bush clover, the deer walking past maple leaves and the butterflies fluttering around peony flowers. Why didn't he play that combination?

"I couldn't play it then." Francis said, "The right cards weren't on the field, and I was waiting for the right chance. It sort of never came."

That was reasonable. Even if Francis had dropped those cards, if he didn't see a card of a similar suit on the field, he wouldn't be able to capture it. He would be leaving his fate to chance… however, isn't that how it plays out in real life?

"What are you talking about, Satoshi?" Francis asked, puzzled, "You should only play your combos when you are sure you can achieve them."

"But what about the times when there aren't any compatible cards in play." I said, scanning my cards and seeing no similar suits on the field at all, "What happens then?"

Francis didn't reply, acting as if he were studying his cards as well.

"Sometimes, you just have to take a chance." I said, dropping a card. I then drew a card from the draw pile, and it matched the card I had just dropped. "Cup and the Cherry Blossoms. Five points. Cup and the Moon. Five points, koi-koi."

My friend then gulped in fright. He didn't expect my gambit to pay off. Honestly, neither did I, but here it was.

"You know what, Satoshi, I envy you." Francis said, playing through his turn, "You just do whatever you want to do, regardless of the outcome. That crazy little act you put up at the Cultural Festival last year, for example…"

"I did it for my sister." I said, playing my turn, "Then, along the way, I did it for Ui and Yui-nee too. Ame-shiko, 4-bright with Rain Man. Seven points. I won't koi-koi."

"And would you look at that, you beat me." Francis said, amused by my last minute rush, "You won."

"Good game, bud." I said, shaking his hand, "So let's call it a night."

Francis nodded, fixed up the cards and we both crawled into our respective beds.

"Satoshi, you still up?"

"Yeah. I'm still up."

"I've been thinking about something… you and Ui-chan don't have to pitch in money for me when we get back to Osaka." Francis said with determination, "I'll return my Strat and get a Squier instead. That'll get me more than enough money to buy Fraulein back. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a good plan, buddy." I said, "But regardless, if you need any help, don't be afraid to talk to me or Ui or anyone else, got it?"

"Got it."

* * *

The next evening, at the backstage of the Nagoya LIVE studio, Ui, Jun, Francis and I prepared to go on stage. From the green room TV, we watched the show as it went on, waiting for our cue to enter the stage. Unlike yesterday, both Yagihara-san and Kashiwara-san were in their superstar-modes and were pumping up the crowd with unbelievable skill.

"Yagihara-san and Kashiwara-san are the main attraction of the show." Ui then said as we watched, "It is their banter that makes the show so interesting."

"Yeah, the two of them act like best buddies." I noted, "However, behind the scenes, they're in love with each other. It's crazy how things work out in the showbiz world."

"But wow… very soon, we're going to be on TV." Ui noted, "We'll be part of that world, and onee-chan and everyone else back in Osaka will be watching."

Indeed, the HTT's performance at the Cultural Festival would have ended two hours ago. I could see them huddled up around the TV at the Hirasawa household, the closest home to the school. Mugi-senpai would be serving them all tea, as always, and Azusa would be bouncing up and down the sofa waiting for our segment to begin. Then, the cue we had been waiting for then came. It was time for us to go.

"We'll give them a show to remember then! Let's go, guys!"

The four of us marched onto the stage and were greeted by the two hosts (who whispered some words of encouragement to us) and an enthusiastic audience. The drum set and the amps were already provided for us, so we just walked over to our spots with our instruments in hand.

"Everyone," Ui said as she stood before the microphone with Tele in her arms, "We are Okaeri, and we are pleased to be here tonight! We hope you enjoy the show!"

A round of applause came from the audience and we started to play our first song, Travelers. To our surprise, quite a few people in the audience already knew the lyrics and were singing along happily, making our vocalist extremely happy. Some of them must have been to our Natsufest performance. The others must have seen it on the internet. Nonetheless, it was refreshing to see that we had developed a fanbase even without knowing it. It inspired us to play better and to give it all. The hot lights made the sweat drip down our faces and the remarkably large audience and the battery of TV cameras moving around on different angles was unnerving but we played on as we always have. That recording deal was at stake after all and the HTT was rooting for us behind those cameras. We'll show them we can stand up on our own.

Then came our second song, the one Ui and I had prepared specially for this day - Magic Mirror*. Since the song was fairly new, Francis was able to play the violin parts on the guitar without a hitch. Notes turned to overdriven chords and the melody was left in Ui's capable hands like in Travelers. Since Francis didn't just follow the bassline anymore, Jun's parts were much more prominent and the plucking of the bass took on a life of its own. Despite that, I played the same way as I always have, providing the steady beat for everyone else to follow. No matter what song it is or what arrangement we take up, the thing my sister Ritsu told me when I went off to substitute for her roughly a year ago holds true - we drummers are the rhythm of the band, we urge the others onwards.

The last chord from Tele's amp rang out through the studio and disappeared into the deafening standing ovation that followed the end of our song.

"Once again," Ui said, wrapping up our performance, "We are Okaeri, and we're coming home."

The four of us held hands, bowed to our audience one last time then went backstage as the show segued into a break. There, Yagihara-san and Kashiwara-san congratulated us heartily and talked about the performance in a tone that was nothing short of impressed. We thanked them for their kind words then Kashiwara-san said that her father was on his way to Nagoya from Tokyo and said that he wanted to meet with us after the show. We were leaving Nagoya tomorrow morning, so we didn't have any reason to refuse. The fact that Mr. Kashiwara himself rushed to talk to us sounded like good news. That recording deal must have been in the bank.

"So why don't the four of you have dinner with us?" Kashiwara-san suggested, "If you don't mind waiting a little bit, we'll take you to the restaurant after we end the show."

With that, the four of us went back to the green room, being congratulated by the staff and the occassional lost audience member for our performance and waited for the show to end. On the TV screen, we watched as Yagihara-san and Kashiwara-san revealed their true selves to the public and announced their engagement. Most of the audience was shocked and so were a lot of the staff back in the green room. We, however already knew about it, so we just admired their courage to break out the news to the world.

"So that's all we have for you this season. We hope you enjoyed our company all these years." Yagihara-san said happily, "We definitely enjoyed it. This is Shoichi Yagihara signing out for the last time."

"And this is Sarina Kashiwara signing out as well." Kashiwara-san added, "Good bye and good night from Nagoya LIVE!"

And so, the fifth season of Nagoya LIVE, the last season featuring the famous 'Yagihara-sama' and 'Kashiwara-tan' came to a close while the lives of the future Mr. and Mrs. Yagihara were about to begin.

* * *

Yagihara-san and Kashiwara-san brought us to a high-end restaurant as they had proposed. Not only had they brought us there to celebrate the successful end of the season and their successful five year run as the hosts of Nagoya LIVE, they brought us there to celebrate Okaeri's first TV appearance as well. On top of that, we were going to be meeting with Mr. Kashiwara, who left for Nagoya as soon as he saw us on TV so the excitement at the table was unbelievable. Before long, Mr. Kashiwara arrived at the restaurant with an attache of staff and a pair of bodyguards. He looked like a fairly powerful entrepreneural being.

"Uncle," Yagihara-san said, standing up to shake his hand, "We're so happy you could drop by."

Mr. Kashiwara ignored his future son in law, and didn't seem to even take notice of his daughter either. It was a bit of a strange situation, but it seems that Mr. Kashiwara hasn't warmed up to the fact that his youngest daughter was marrying a common man. The couple were already used to it so they didn't mind it too much, but we found it rather odd. Instead, he focused his attention to us.

"The four of you must be the members of Okaeri." He said in a deep, business-like tone, "I believe you are aware of who I am."

He was a proud man too… he was starting to get on my nerves.

"I have seen your performance on the television and I would have you know that I am… pleased… by your performance. I believe I have just found 'the next big thing' my company is looking for."

"Does that mean we get a record contract?" Francis asked, trying to get to the point. To his irritation, he was promptly ignored.

"Also, I've heard about your goal of performing at Budokan." he then continued insensitively, "We own 30% of Budokan, so artists under our label have priority to perform there."

30% of Budokan? The Budokan?

"That's right." He said, reading through the surprised looks on our faces, "If you sign with any other company, then you probably will have to wait years on end to be able to reserve… or probably never at all."

"Dad, that's enough." Kashiwara-san said. "That's a harsh thing to say…"

"Harsh, maybe." Mr. Kashiwara said, "But it's the truth. Not once has a local artist performed on Budokan without going through us first. I'm just explaining the benefits of signing with our label."

"So get to the point." I then said, lacking the patience to listen to him talk any longer, "We're here to talk about the recording deal right? As leader of Okaeri, let's negotiate already."

"Okaeri?" Mr. Kashiwara then laughed coldly, "Who said anything about me wanting to sign Okaeri?"

"What?" Kashiwara-san then asked, "Then why did you…"

"My company is looking for a solo artist." Mr. Kashiwara explained, "The only one we want to sign is Ms. Hirasawa here."

The table then fell silent as the gravity of the situation became clear. Mr. Kashiwara took out a cigar to puff and had one of his attaché staff members come over to Ui with a set of documents and a pen.

"So if you would write your signature here, here and here, Ms. Hirasawa." The staff person said pointing to the empty spaces on the sheet, "When you're done, you'll be signed with our label for five years."

"You're a dreamer, are you not, Ms. Hirasawa?" Mr. Kashiwara said in a devious tone, "This is your chance to finally turn those dreams into a reality."

"Don't pressure her!" I shouted at the man, making him jolt back a bit. "Asshole!"

"Well, let her decide." The bastard replied, "What she wants is not up to you, boy."

Hesitantly, Ui then took the pen from the staff member.

"You can't be serious, Ui…" I said, feeling my heart beat as she held the pen in her hands

"But… this is my only chance, Satoshi-kun." She then said, "Onee-chan and the rest have sacrificed so much bring us to this point… returning empty handed wouldn't be…"

"That's the thing, Ui." I interrupted, "They sacrificed a lot for _us_. For Okaeri…"

"Those sacrifices would prove futile in the end, boy." Mr. Kashirawa added, "Bands are dead."

"Fuck you! I wasn't talking to you." I growled. It didn't matter to him, he had Ui in his hooks. I could have sworn all I want, but it wouldn't help.

"I'm sorry, everyone." Ui said tearfully, "I have to do this…"

She then slowly started to write her signature on the first blank as Mr. Kashiwara watched on, pleased with the goddamn situation. Francis and Jun tried their best to talk Ui out of it, about the Light Music Club... about the plan to go out and perform together with the HTT again, but to no avail. The second signature was in place. The staff member then flipped to the page of the last blank. This was now or never.

"But what about us, Ui?" I said in desperation, "What about family? Me, Yui-nee and Ritsu?"

"I..."

"What about love!"

"Forgive me, Satoshi-kun."

She filled up the third blank and the contract was sealed.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you." Mr. Kashiwara said triumphantly as he and his attache left the restaurtant, "Transportation will be provided for Ms. Hirasawa to Tokyo. The rest of you can go on home."

"You son of a bitch..." I growled at the man.

"She made her decision." Mr. Kashiwara said with a grin, "And a contract is a contract. Welcome to the real world, boy."

I clenched my fists, strongly compelled to fucking rip that asshole's face off, but Francis and Jun held me back. There was no use arguing now... Ui was now a signed artist and we... what were we now?

"Oh, and Ms. Hirasawa." Mr. Kashiwara then said before he left, "Don't bring your electric guitar. You won't need him in Tokyo."

How do we explain this to everyone else?

**To Be Continued**

**

* * *

**

Magic Mirror* - Song in profile


	24. The End Of The Journey

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 24**

It was 4:22AM in the morning in the 2-star hotel in Nagoya. Seated there on the hard, cheap spring bed of the girl's room was me and my dearest Ui. Though we were nearly beside each other, it felt as if we were already far apart. We didn't face each other either… though we couldn't have faced each other even if we tried.

"Why, Ui…?" I asked, burying my face in my hands, "Why are you doing this?"

"Satoshi-kun… this is my dream. Remember?" Ui reasoned, her tone showing concern for me but her resolve adamant, "This is the dream Ritsu-nee and onee-chan share… I'm sure they would have taken the chance."

We have been talking like this for hours now, unable to even look at each other's face. Outside the room, Francis and Jun were posted like sentries at the door, listening to our conversation. They wanted to know if there would be four people returning to Osaka that morning or just three. Judging by the way our talk has gone, the latter seemed to be the case.

"Ui… this could be a trap. You just signed that contract without reading it."

"I read that contract, Satoshi." Ui said honestly, "I'm a fast reader and I read every bit of it. None of the settlements were unreasonable and I even saw the fine print. It said that the contract would be divided into two phases – the first year, where I can choose to leave at any time and the latter four years where I am signed with them until the end of the contract. I can also negotiate my pay and the contract length as I please. Yagihara-san and Kashiwara-san also said they will look out after me to make sure I can assert my rights in this contract."

"Then that means…"

"I won't opt out of it." Ui said determinedly, "This may be my only chance, Satoshi-kun. I'm scared… really. If I don't take this, then maybe our music will go nowhere. All that time we've spent together, the Winter Music Festival, Natsufest, all of that would have been for nothing."

"That's not true…"

"We have to be realistic here, Satoshi-kun." Ui said, now fidgeting as she talked, "When we reach out for the stars… when we chase our dreams, we have to make sacrifices."

"So you're willing to sacrifice us? Your friends… your family?"

"I didn't mean…"

Ui then fell silent and I sighed. So began yet another period of silence, the kind that has kept us uncomfortably awake all this time. Before we had realized it, the sun had already risen and the sunlight was pouring into the room. It was an ironic sight, seeing the world blossom in bright colors while I felt like shit. The same must have been true for my Ui… my beloved, distant Ui.

The girl's cellphone then buzzed once. She had received a text message.

"It's time for me to go." She said, closing her phone and standing up from the bed. The transport that asshole Mr. Kashiwara said he would provide was waiting outside. She walked up to the corner of the room where her electric guitar which we had dubbed 'Tele' leaned against the wall. Ui picked up Tele's case then handed it to me, still avoiding my gaze. "Please bring Tele home for me."

I took the guitar case from her. As I held the guitar case in my arms, she looked at me one last time. Tears were welling up in her eyes, tears that showed a raging conflict over her resolve and her second thoughts. I couldn't bear to look at her face, seeing it like that. Where was that smile I was so used to seeing in the morning… that upbeat expectant smile I would see when I see her in the morning at the front gates of the Hirasawa household?

It made me want to draw out my wallet where that small photograph Mio-senpai had taken roughly a year ago was – the picture of me, Ui, Ritsu and Yui-nee smiling after we had first become a family. Wait a second… the picture!

"Hold on, Ui." I said, taking out my wallet and pulling out that photograph, "Take this."

"Satoshi-kun…" Ui said, taking a moment to look at the photo

"To keep you company along the way." I said, "And hopefully, to help you make the right choice."

Ui took the photo with her shaky hands then forced a tearful smile.

"Thank you, Satoshi-kun. Goodbye."

The girl then walked out of the room, bid the sibling sentries farewell then boarded the limousine. The three of us then watched as the limo drove down the road and out of sight. My body then started to shiver as I did my best to hold back tears. Francis and Jun both laid a hand on my shoulder in sympathy, allowing me to calm myself down.

"It's no use just standing here now." I said in a melancholy tone, "We have to go home."

* * *

I held on to Tele's case on the train back to Osaka, embracing it the way I would have embraced Ui back when things were still simple. Obviously, the feeling wasn't the same. The cold straps of the guitar case didn't compare with Ui's warm arms and the absence of Ui's soft brown hair brushing gently against my face was saddening. She was gone, and this was a reality I had to face… a reality the three of us were now tasked to tell everyone else.

Turning to the Suzuki siblings, the two of them were busy going over a dossier Yagihara-san and his fiancée had given us; some notary public sheets to iron out the legalities and a document that declares that Ui would be transferred from Sakura-gakou to a prestigious high school in Tokyo. Francis had some rudimentary knowledge of the legal system and was savvy of some of the numerous contractual loopholes companies often used to their unfair advantage so he was naturally the person I entrusted to first go over the dossier. He said that he couldn't find anything particularly detrimental to Ui, save for the fact that she would now be living miles and miles away.

"We're going to have to hand these off to the local government." Francis said, sitting beside me with the re-packed dossier in hand, "Then we have to give that last one to Hirasawa-san to give to the Sakura-gakou admissions department."

"Can't we deliver those ourselves first?" I asked my friend, "I don't feel like facing everyone immediately after all of this… I'm still trying to get my head around all this."

"Very well." Francis said, "Then we can probably drop by the Music Store too, so I can get Fraulein back."

"That's fine with me." I replied, "But… I don't think Okaeri will be around for much longer. I'm thinking about disbanding."

"Satoshi… what are you saying all of the sudden?" Francis laughed, thinking I was joking

"I'm serious." I said back, "The decision is up to me, after all, and I don't think we can go on like this."

My declaration silenced my friend and he took a moment to reorganize his thoughts. We re-entered the Osaka prefecture and Francis's phone rang – it was Mugi-senpai. Francis closed his eyes with a serious expression on his face and dropped the call. He must have wanted to retrieve Fraulein before he talked to Mugi-senpai again… The half-Canadian wasn't without his troubles, so there was an air of solidarity between us in that silence. We both looked out of the train windows and wondered where the heck we were headed.

I, for one, felt like we were headed for a brick wall.

* * *

Later that day, after dropping off the documents in the proper places, Francis, Jun and I rode the escalator descending down to the music shop at the strip mall. I went down there with the siblings with mixed feelings, seeing images of me, Ui, Ritsu and Yui-nee looking for a guitar not too long ago. The guitar bag I wore on my back was a memento of that and it bore some weight on my shoulders and a lot of weight on my heart.

This visit however wouldn't be about that. It would be about Francis and the guitar he had brought. Like he said he would do, he returned the Stratocaster to the clerk, asked for a refund and bought the Squier model of the guitar. The transaction left Francis with 180,000 kinsu in disposable income.

"With this, I'll be able to buy her back." Francis said excitedly as he counted the bills. He then turned to the clerk and asked how much it would cost to buy his violin back.

"That old violin you sold two days ago?" The clerk asked, "It caught some antique instrument collector's eye just a while ago. She was bought."

"B… bought?" Francis gasped. "W… where'd he go?"

"He left hours ago!" The clerk said, trying to calm him down, "There's nothing I can do."

"How much did that bastard buy my Fraulein for?" Francis demanded, "I can pay for it!"

"350,000 kinsu. Plus tax."

The number stabbed Francis' heart as he walked back in absolute horror. It was almost triple of what he had received when he first sold his violin… and it was more than the three of us could scrounge that instant. Just like that, Fraulein was gone too. We were going to have to face the music in its full breadth.

* * *

"So you're telling me…" Yui-nee said, looking dejectedly down to the ground, "You're telling me that she's gone…"

It was evening in the Western Osaka District. Ritsu had invited the members of the HTT to convene at the Hirasawa household to welcome back Okaeri. The celebration however quickly turned to a high-tension revelation as the news the three of us bore shocked my sister's band. The absence of Okaeri's guitarist-slash-vocalist only worsened that tension, especially for Yui-nee.

"Yes. She's gone." I said, shaking my lowered head.

In the house, the sound of sobbing could be heard coming from down the hallway. Francis had already told Mio-senpai and Mugi-senpai about Fraulein's fate and its repercussions. Now, the keyboardist was in tears, wailing bitterly and was being attended to by Azusa and Jun. Mio-senpai was busy scolding Francis about what he had done. All the while, Francis had his hand on his face, nursing the pain from Mugi-senpai's response to the news – a powerful slap.

All of this didn't stop the confrontation between me and Yui-nee at the living room from taking place.

"And you didn't do anything to stop her?" Yui-nee then demanded, fury now burning in her eyes

"I couldn't stop her." I replied, remembering the images from earlier today all too well, "I…"

Yui-nee then stopped talking and her hands curled into fists, shaking violently at her sides. I remember this sight… back here at this same spot.

"I thought you said you loved her." Yui-nee then said. Glaring angrily at me, she repeated her words with rage, "I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU LOVED HER!"

Not thinking twice, Yui-nee ran at me with her fists, swinging at me. Totally overcome by her fury, Yui-nee lashed out swear after swear in rapid succession as she tried to hit me. Ritsu rushed into the room as soon as she heard this.

"Yui! Satoshi-kun!" She cried as she tried to put herself in between us, but the punches had been thrown. Yui-nee struck me on the cheek and on my chest, but I was still standing. Not caring that my sister was rushing to separate us, Yui-nee prepared to throw one last punch.

"WHY DID YOU LET HER GO?"

Time slowed as a million thoughts rushed to my head. In one moment, I saw the tearful, enraged face of Yui-nee as her fist sailed through the air, aimed at my jaw to finish the job. Then, I recalled the many times I had promised to help Ui achieve her dream… at the Cultural Festival… at Osaka West… at Natsufest. I took a deep breath and caught Yui-nee's haymaker with my hand mid-flight. Gripping her fist tightly, I looked her straight in the eye and tried to answer her question firmly. However, all I could come up with was,

"I… don't know…"

Letting go of her fist, I fell on my knees and started to cry. Yui-nee fell to her knees too and bawled. Rather than separate us, Ritsu now had to comfort us. She tried to keep a positive front but it was hard for her to do. The celebratory gathering she had planned quickly turned into a disaster and there was distress left and right.

"I'm sorry I let her go." I then said there on the floor, wiping my tears as best as I could, "I was hoping that I'd understand the whole situation once I got home, but I still don't understand… I'm a failure of a boyfriend… a failure of a band leader… a failure of a man. I'm disbanding Okaeri..."

"Satoshi-kun!" Ritsu said sharply, shaking me up to try to get me to my senses. I was however thinking clearly. I turned to Yui-nee who was still noticeably angry at me and said,

"The only reason I formed that band was because of her… because of Ui." I said determinedly, "Now that she's gone, there's no point in continuing."

I stood up from where I knelt and left the house without waiting for a response. I walked back to our house down the road with my hands in my pockets. Under that moonlight, I was alone. That must be how it was meant to be. It's over for me.

**The End...**

**…**

**..**

**.**

**..**

**...**

A day has passed since that horrendous event back in the Hirasawa household. Satoshi walked home on his own with scratches on his face, a sore chest and a broken heart. He called in sick that morning and locked himself in his room, concerning both mom and dad, and of course me. Whenever Satoshi-kun has his problems, he has always let at least me hear him out. Never before had he been faced with a problem of this size and magnitude, though. He must have just wanted some time to contemplate, so I let him. If I had been in his shoes after everything that had taken place, I'm sure I would have felt the same way.

Going out of the house in the Sakura-gakou Fall uniform, I walked on over to Mio's house on my own. There, she told me what had happened between her, Francis and Mugi yesterday and the extent of the damage of the situation. Azusa walked Mugi home while Jun dragged her brother along, still in disbelief that Mugi would slap him. The pianist and the violinist-turned-guitarist weren't on talking terms and Mugi said that she would be taking a break from the Light Music Club for the time being. She didn't have to say it, but she didn't want to see Suzuki-kun's face.

"What do you think we should do, Mio?" I said, turning to the bassist, "This… is something else."

"I don't know Ritsu…" She said as if there was something on the tip of her tongue, "I just… I don't know."

What an appropriate answer. That fiasco at Yui's house left everyone confused about a lot of things.

Dejectedly, the two of us just walked on. We passed by the Hirasawa household and naturally; Yui wasn't there to greet us as she had been doing in the past. I was compelled to drop by to at least check up on her but I believed she wouldn't take too kindly to me after that terrible welcome-back party I had organized. If crying and fighting were things normally done in parties, then we had a blast.

We would later learn that Yui didn't go to school and that she too sought to take a break from club activities. That left the HTT on its last leg – just a drummer, a bassist and a guitarist. Okaeri however fared worse. Just as Satoshi had declared, Okaeri was disbanded.

"Like Satoshi said," Suzuki-kun said to me in a text, "it's over for us. In technical terms, we don't have a vocalist. Beyond that though, Satoshi has lost his muse. You can't lay down a beat with a broken heart."

Being a drummer myself, I know what he meant all too well. We arrived at the school to the cries of the paper boy vending the local newspaper. On the front page was the title 'Okaeri disbanded. The HTT in shambles.' The article wasn't written by Shinohara-san from the West, but it wasn't too far from the truth with the way things were going. And my, do these intrigues spread fast. Ui-chan must have already heard about this mess… I wonder how she'll take all of this, that poor girl.

I bought a copy of the newspaper and Mio and I went to class. Yui wasn't there, but Mugi was present as always. However, she wasn't in the mood to talk about what had happened last night, or about her decision to take a break from club activities. She just sat there in total silence, her perennial pleasantness nowhere to be found. Who wouldn't feel the way she felt after finding out that the person who had accompanied her to other countries in the past wouldn't be doing so any more because of a stupid transaction? Add the fact that their next engagement was her hometown of Helsinki and her emotions become justified.

We got through the first two classes of the day and the recess bell rang. Seeing Yui's empty seat and the silent Mugi made the air in the room stuffy so I went out for a walk. Rather than go out aimlessly, I went out to seek the two sophomores in their classroom to see how they were faring.

I got to their classroom and saw that unlike Yui's chair which was empty, Ui's chair was no longer there. Azusa and Jun welcomed me in, told me that they were doing fine, but said that they still found it hard to believe that things turned out the way they did. The two of them also got text messages from Ui, saying that she had just heard about what had happened at the Hirasawa household last night and that she was blaming herself for it all. Things were dismal over in Tokyo too, it seems.

"It's over, isn't it?" I said as I sat with the two sophomores, "It's the end of the journey. Denying it will just make things worse."

"No, senpai." Azusa then said, "It's not over, not yet… I refuse to believe that it's over!"

"What are you saying, Azusa?" I asked, "Yui and Mugi don't feel like being in the club anymore, Satoshi's become a hermit, and Ui's in Tokyo for crying out loud! The rest of us… what can we do? This situation's a mess."

"And you want to leave it this way, senpai?" Azusa asked, "I, for one, don't want to leave it this way. There must be something we can do!"

"But what can we do, Azusa?" I asked, "Frankly, I'm stumped."

"Look, senpai." Azusa said, "It's Fourth quarter. We're down four… no, five with less than a minute to go, senpai. The ball is in our hands, but our team is in disarray. We need to get back in the game."

Azusa was fired up about this. I didn't understand why for a while, but looking back at it all, I started to see where she was going at. She was quite the perceptive girl, that Azusa. Not only was she perceptive, she cared about everyone too... We had all gone a long way to reach this point. Did we do it just to fall apart at the last minute? No we didn't! Did we pour our blood, sweat and tears just to feel sorry for ourselves? No we didn't! And, did Satoshi-kun let Ui chase after her dream just to have her give it up after wards… No.

"We need to get the team back together." I said, "Nothing good will come out of moping around like this."

"That's right, senpai." Azusa said, glad that I understood her, "Jun, you're with us, right?"

"How could I not be?" Jun said, "I'm in!"

"Good to have you on board, Jun-chan." I said happily, "Now for everyone else… we're going to need a plan."

"And I think I just know where to start." Jun said with a determined smile.

Then just like that, our next mission promptly began. Talk about deja vu, we were out to revive the Light Music Club again. This'll be interesting.

**To Be Continued. You Can Count On It.**


	25. Triangle Offense

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 25**

It was late night in the Western Osaka District and the sky was shrouded by thick blankets of dark clouds that threatened to let loose tears at a moment's notice. My brother Satoshi watched this sight from the dining table, forgetting that there was still a half-eaten meal sitting in front of him.

"Oy Satoshi." I called as I took the seat opposite to him, "Still here?"

My brother just let out a sigh and poked the rice on his plate with his chopsticks half-heartedly.

"Your food's going to get cold, boy." I advised, "Well… it probably already has. That's nothing a quick run in the microwave can't fix though."

"It's fine." Satoshi rejected plainly, "You don't have to go through the trouble, sis."

Satoshi then set aside his chopsticks and leaned to a side, watching that sky as it started to rain. The pitter-patter of the downpour quickly filled the room as the rain gathered strength but it could not overpower the deafening silence that existed there.

It felt really strange to see Satoshi like this. Sadness was emanating from him like some sort of aura. It was an aura opposite to the one he had gained ever since I started teaching him drums a few years back... the aura that had strengthened and flourished in the year he had spent with Yui's sister Ui. My only repose in this laid in the fact that this was already an improvement from the state my little brother was in after the welcome back party-turned-disaster.

Satoshi stopped being a hermit this Tuesday as he started going to school again. Needless to say, he was no longer locked up in his room and he was no longer as shut-off from the rest of the world as he was back then. The trade-off was that whenever he spoke, he would do so in a melancholy tone. Notably absent were those quick-witted remarks of his and his relentless teasing of poor ole me.

I used to hate it whenever he teases me about my flat chest or my forehead, but now I sort of miss that side of him. It was probably because he said those things with a grin, a semblance of a smile. Not once have I seen him smile since that day... and in the few times I have talked to him, he oftentimes mentioned that he hasn't the reason to smile and that he had completely given up on this whole mess. I couldn't argue with him about the first part, seeing as how important Ui was to the poor kid, but the latter part… I refused to believe it.

Suzuki-kun had kept my little brother well informed about the goings on at the Light Music Club in recent days. Along with the internal drama, the half-Canadian even mentioned the rumors of Ui-chan's plan to opt out of the contract she had signed. The younger Hirasawa started to consider it after she had heard about the incident at their household. Satoshi couldn't believe these developments at first, but when I confirmed everything Suzuki-kun had told him at the dinner table, the harsh reality of the situation slowly sank into him. He quickly lost his appetite and there he sits now, just pondering and listening to the rain as if waiting for it to speak to him. One might think that Satoshi had indeed given up, but I know him to be better than that. He is my brother, after all – a Tainaka at heart.

I say this because in his eyes, I saw a fire. It wasn't the strongest of flames, nor was it the brightest, but it was there. Though recent events have doused gallons upon gallons of cold water upon that fire, it held on, flickering and hoping to become strong again. Deep inside, behind that melancholy yet calculating look, I could see that he wanted to act.

There definitely was a reason why my little brother let his beloved Ui go, you see. It wasn't some mere whim of the moment, no. Ui-chan had a dream to be where she was and Satoshi had promised to do everything in his power to bring her there. All the while, he had thought that we would make it together – both the HTT and Okaeri. The first dent in that plan came after Sawa-chan's bad bets, when the HTT and Okaeri had to split up for the very first time.

After that, Satoshi believed that they would make it together as a band at the very least… that they would make it as Okaeri. Then there was the second strike, the one that finally tore through the armor. When the opportunity came and when he saw that Ui was compelled to accept, he downgraded his hopes a second time and let the younger Hirasawa chase her dream on her own. It wasn't the happiest of partings, I could assume, but he did it for her. What troubled Satoshi now would be that Ui was starting to doubt whether or not chasing her dream was even worth it anymore. If she decided to stop, his sacrifice… our sacrifice, and everything we had done up till now would have been for nothing.

Ui is doing a really good job in Tokyo. Kashiwara-san (the good one, not her good for nothing father) and Yagihara-san from Nagoya faithfully stayed with Ui since she decided to carry onward on her own. They kept Sawa-chan informed about her progress in the label. Sawa-chan, then, in turn, kept me and the rest of the Light Music Club who still attended (Me, Jun, Azusa and Mio) in the know. Last time I heard, Ui was doing a magnificent job and truly was as talented as we had all believed her to be. She didn't need to be auto-tuned to sing a song and her voice had the heart and passion that many a commercialized artist lacked. She truly was the 'next big thing'. If she stops now, her dreams would take a nose dive and would crash into the valley of could-have-beens. Satoshi didn't want that, and neither did I. With the way things stand though, the both of us were powerless to do anything about it.

Separated and shattered, the HTT didn't have the same power and influence we had in our better days. Yui was one of the main attractions of our band with her bright and breezy demeanor and Mugi's keyboard gives our songs that extra kick of liveliness that I, for one, absolutely love. Mio, Azusa and I have tried to limp on on our own, but it truly isn't the same without them.

Then, the case with Okaeri was much worse. Even though they could still play on as a skeleton bass-guitar-drum band, Ui's departure had left them without a vocalist, but more importantly, without a voice. Okaeri's dilemma could have been easily fixed if we looked around for a vocalist who was willing to cover for Ui, but Satoshi couldn't accept that fix. There was no way in hell he would accept having a total stranger fill in the shoes of his beloved in the band… that was what my brother told me when I suggested it to him the night he got home. So just like that, he called it quits and disbanded the band.

Still, he wants to act. If there was a concrete way for us to get back on track, then he would be the first to stand up and plan something out. The problem was that our situation wasn't exactly simple and one would have no assurance that we would ever reconcile. Satoshi told me once, after he came out of seclusion, that he was done believing in miracles since he had hoped for one too many. Simply put, he wouldn't want anything to do with the Light Music Club as long as things stayed the way they were. As long as things stayed that way, that flame I see would remain weak.

The rain would give my brother no solace that night. I however was ready to provide. Thus, the intricate plan to revive the Light Music Club a second time came into motion.

* * *

Azusa, Jun and I met at the Sakura-gakou Music Room the next day, immediately after school. We took our seats there as we had always done, but we found the place rather empty. There was no happy-go-lucky Yui bouncing about the room after all, no idealistic Ui who always looked to the future and there was no committed Mugi-chan serving us tea. Both boys would be gone too, leaving the table that was meant to seat nine with only four permanent occupants. That day though, there were only three of us.

"What about Mio-senpai?" Azusa asked, turning to me, "Won't she be attending today?"

"She won't attend today." I told the guitarist, "Mio said Yui had asked her to come over to her house today."

"Is that so…" Azusa sighed, saddened by the fact that our already dwindled numbers had dwindled yet again for the moment. "She might have been able to help us out."

"Well, we have to make do with what we have." Jun said, rubbing her chin, "But what do you think Yui-senpai asked Mio-senpai out there for?"

"Mio is the only one Yui has talked to since she started coming back to class." I assumed, "Unless she's talked to you too or Azusa."

"She hasn't come to visit us yet, no." Azusa sighed

"I see…" I pondered out loud, "In any case, it's good for Yui to open up to one of us. For a while, I thought she would resent us all. She surely resented me…"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Hirasawa household

"Mio-chan." Yui greeted as she opened the door for the bassist, "Thank you for coming over."

"Don't worry about it, Yui." Mio said with a weak smile, "We all are still friends, after all."

Yui didn't respond to that, insisting instead on hanging Mio's coat for her. Mio sensed that the guitarist didn't take too kindly to her words and she was aware of why.

"Let me go make us some tea." Yui then said, hurrying over to the kitchen, "Please have a seat in the living room."

Yui darted off and Mio seated herself on a couch at the living room. As the bassist sat there, she recalled the horrifying scenes that had taken place in that very room nearly a week ago. She remembered the cursing and the shouting of Yui and the stoic apologies of Satoshi. She envisioned Satoshi and Yui kneeling on the floor and wailing as Ritsu desperately tried to comfort them.

Turning to the hallways now, she then recalled the weeping Tsumugi being attended to by the two remaining Sakura-gakou sophomores and the dazed Francis who held on to the slap mark that the pianist had inflicted on him. Though the house had been cleaned and the furniture rearranged since then, images like that were hard to forget.

Yui came back to the living room with two mugs of green tea on a tray. The guitarist served them on the coffee table with a constant effort to keep the contents of the tray from tipping over. She had been practicing, Mio assumed. The elder Hirasawa, after the departure of Ui, now had to take care of herself and she seemed to be doing a passable job. Still, she noticeably lacked the vibrant aura she used to wear often, reminding Mio of the question she had been meaning to ask her since she arrived.

"Are you still mad at everyone, Yui?"

Yui then stopped, as if taking a moment to consult herself about her query. The façade of stability and normalcy Yui had put on for her guest was weathered significantly. She then sat next to Mio and replied.

"I'm not mad, Mio-chan… I'm just hurt." Yui said, tears welling in her eyes, "I just can't believe that Riichan… Satoshi-kun would… that they would let this happen. I love my Ui… and I thought they loved her too. They said they did… they promised! I... I…"

Tears then overcame Yui and she found herself unable to speak. Mio consolingly put a hand on her shoulder and let Yui lean on her for a little while.

"That's why…" Yui then said, wiping her tears, "I want you to help me to write lyrics…"

In other words, she needed an outlet, thought Mio. Being the HTT's lyricist, she would be the best equipped to help Yui learn the craft. Mio too oftentimes turned to writing to express the feelings that she kept hidden from everyone. On top of that, she knew very well that those very feelings played a part in the terrible chain of events that had torn the Light Music Club apart. Helping Yui, one of the biggest victims of the disaster, would be her way of atonement

As she sat beside and comforted the HTT's former lead guitarist and vocalist though, she started to see more and more that that wouldn't be enough.

* * *

At the courtyard of the Osaka West Public High School, Francis and Satoshi were on their way to the front gates. The two of them had just finished writing their monthly columns for the school's press club. For the first time however, neither of the two were confident in their work.

"It's hard to think about the problems of the school, of others…" Francis sighed, "Especially when we have troubles to deal with ourselves, eh?"

Satoshi only replied with an agreeing sigh. Their last column was nowhere near as fiery as their previous installations and didn't have the rhetorical firepower to threaten the principal with a student revolution anymore.

"I just feel so powerless right now…" Francis vented angrily, "Things between me and Mio got really complicated… and me and Kotobuki-san…"

Just as he mentioned the pianist's name, the half-Finnish girl happened to walk by. The moment she saw the two, she then quickly turned away unhappily, walking faster down the road and turning at the nearest intersection to get out of their sight.

"We both screwed up, France." Satoshi then said, "That's all there is to it. All we can do now is to suck it up."

Francis looked up to the sky somberly, wondering if that really was all they could really do. A cold gust then blew through, making the half-Canadian sigh.

"Hmm… It will be winter again soon."

* * *

I recall a lesson Mr. and Mrs. Kotobuki had given me and my brother Satoshi. It was one of those little conversational pieces of theirs at one of our breakfasts in the Kotobuki villa during our Natsufest campaign. They told us that the pillars that hold and strengthen an organization, for example our club, are the people that it is made up of. Without them, the organization would crumble then cease to operate. Then, it would cease to exist at all.

The situation the Light Music Club was facing wasn't too far off from their example. It felt like late 2008 all over again. Tearing off five pillars from a building that had stood firmly on nine would leave the remaining four to keep the building from falling under its own weight – a tough task to say the least. Our goal therefore was to restore those supporting pillars, to have them stand by our side once more. We would get all of them back on board, or at least those we could manage to convince that we weren't on a sinking ship… or that we were actually in a submarine.

"Okay Jun." I said, leaning into my chair at the Music Room table, "You told us you knew where to start this thing, right? Sell it to us."

"Alrighty." Jun said, clearing her throat, "You guys remember that Montreal anecdote my brother and Mugi-senpai told you all before? The one about the snowbanks*?"

"I remember that." Azusa chuckled, "It was a funny story."

"Well, there was more to that trip than just that incident." Jun then said, "They didn't spend that entire week in Canada just skating on sidewalks, after all, eh?"

Putting her hands together in thought, Jun prepared to tell us the rest of the story of her brother and Mugi's trip to Montreal, or at least the parts of it that she knew. Jun went full auto from the off-set, telling us the story of how they met and about every single phone call she had with her brother in the course of the trip. There were so many details, but the thing that struck me the most was at the end of the magazine. Apparently, Suzuki-kun had asked his sister for directions to their relative who owned a clothier in Montreal to rent a mask for as well as a fancy attire. I couldn't help but ponder what Suzuki-kun did with such a mask and an attire. Sadly, that was all Jun knew off the top of her head.

"That's all I know, Ritsu-senpai." Jun said, "If I knew any more, then I must have been there with my brother the entire time."

That was reasonable. She was only giving us a second-hand account after all. Surely, Jun-chan wouldn't be able to tell us every detail of that trip – though she was fairly precise when it came to the coffee and the doughnuts they shared. Tim Horton's double-single (whatever that means) and maple dip doughnuts too. But never mind that. From Jun's broad account, Azusa and I were slowly able to piece something together.

"Do you think that… the two of them might actually like each other?" Azusa asked, "Mugi-senpai and Suzuki-kun…"

"Yeah, but the two of them are just friends." I reminded, "And… Suzuki-kun is Mio's boyfriend now."

"That's what's bothering me now." Jun said, "After that trip, my brother suddenly goes off saying he wants to find a girlfriend and Mugi-senpai was so eager to help him find one."

"Then there's Mio falling for Suzuki-kun all of the sudden too." I added, "I found that rather strange as well."

"Come to think of it, that is quite strange." Azusa noted, "But how is this supposed to help us, Jun?"

"It would pretty much explain the first step I want us to take." Jun then said, "My brother is stuck in the middle of this mess between them. We should get him on board first and get him to tell us the rest of the story. Then we can deal with Mio-senpai and Mugi-senpai."

"It's worth a shot." I said, nodding in consideration, "Azusa?"

"I'm down for it." Azusa seconded, "Anything to help."

"Very well." I said, turning to the half-Canadian girl, "So Jun, will your brother be at your house tonight?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Good… so you wouldn't mind me and Azusa coming over to crash for a while, would you?"

"No, no! I wouldn't mind at all!" Jun said with a smirk, "Be my guest Ritsu-senpai, Azusa."

* * *

"Alright, Yui." Mio said, standing beside Yui at the guitarist's desk in her room, "There is one fundamental thing to keep in mind whenever you write lyrics – one must always be true to one's self. Draw the words from your heart and let your feelings out, whatever they may be."

Mio then turned to the side, a little pained by the very words she had just spoken.

"Do you mean… anything?" Yui asked for clarification. When she turned to Mio though, she wasn't listening. "Hey, Mio-chan…"

"Oh, sorry. I kind of spaced out for a moment there." Mio apologized, "Were you able to write anything yet?"

"I just picked up the pen now, Mio-chan." Yui pointed out, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." The bassist reassured, "Just keep on going. I'll just be right here if you need anything."

"Thanks." Yui said with a smile, "I'm glad there's someone I can trust at times like these."

* * *

Suzuki-kun walked slowly back home that afternoon with a hand in his pocket and a contemplating look as he watched everything around him. For a while, he had tried to count the number of trees that he passed by on the way home but there was just too many of them. Then, he would try counting the number of steps it would take for him to get home but he would oftentimes lose count past one hundred and twenty five. He did all of these to take his mind off the countless good memories he had shared with Mugi since the first day they had met. These memories that were magnificently sweet had turned remarkably sour after the half-Finnish girl slapped him on the face.

Subconsciously, he reached for that part of his face that was struck again but stopped himself midway. The slap mark wouldn't be there anymore, he told himself, and it stopped hurting just seconds after impact. He knew he only reached for that spot again because he was thinking of her, so he forcefully stopped himself.

Shaking his head, he walked on and eventually reached the front doors of his house. At the anteroom, he noticed Jun's pair of shoes along with Azusa's and a third pair.

"Jun must have invited Azusa and Ui… wait… That can't be right."

Suzuki-kun took a look at the third pair another time and identified to whom it belonged.

"Tainaka-senpai?" Satoshi's friend sighed, "Not again…"

Suzuki-kun then marched on over to the living room where the three of us were waiting for him.

"Ah, Suzuki-kun." I greeted, "Just in time."

"Tainaka-senpai, we already talked about this…" Suzuki-kun said, raising his hand to stop me from saying anything else, "If you're here about the Light Music Club…"

"The Light Music Club?" I said, shaking my head, "I was actually hoping to talk to you about your trip to Montreal. The three of us were."

"Montreal…? Why the hell would you want to know that?"

"Please, Suzuki-kun." Azusa said, "You know very well why we want to know. We're here to save the Light Music Club and we need your help."

"And how exactly would that year old memory do us any good?"

"It would give us some perspective, to start." I explained, "But ultimately, it would do you some good."

Before Francis could retort again though, Jun took out a sleek black mask that Francis knew all too well.

"On the phone, you asked for the contact information of a relative who owned a clothier, remember?" Jun asked, standing up as she held the mask, "You then asked to rent some fancy attire and this mask here. When you returned the clothes, she asked you to keep this mask, probably because you used it. There's no other way she would have let you keep a mask like this for free."

Jun then handed the mask back to Suzuki-kun, asking her brother to tell us the rest of his story. Taking the mask, Jun's brother took a seat opposite to the three of us then told us the side of the anecdote that even Jun didn't know.

"Ten minutes to eight at the Place des Arts in Montreal, Canada. I found myself in the main theater where the invitational masquerade for the Osaka Philharmonic was taking place. That grease ball Pierre MacDonald, the Quebecer… or French Canadian who had been hired to teach the Orchestra conversational French and had taken a liking for Kotobuki-san was there and was going from girl to girl on the floor, making out with every single one.

Then, in the middle was Kotobuki-san, wearing that dazzling dress I'll never forget as long as I live. I had told her that I wasn't going to attend the masquerade but she stood there as if looking for someone…

Anyways, my goal that night was to keep MacDonald away from Kotobuki-san at all costs. If things went well, then all I would have had to do was stand watch there in the corner. MacDonald however slowly made his way through to the middle and I was determined to thwart his advances.

Sinatra's Blue Moon was playing then, performed by a local brass band for the event. They couldn't have played a more appropriate song. I went through the crowds, wearing this mask, and finally reached her. I offered her a dance. We got lost in the music. We danced the night away."

Suzuki-kun then went on to tell us a lot of other things, such as how the guards chased after him for sneaking into the theater and how his rival MacDonald saved his skin. Once he had told us all that he knew, he himself seemed amazed by what he had been through. It was as if he couldn't believe what he had done that night.

"So tell me, bro." Jun asked, "Why exactly did you dance with Mugi-senpai that night? Why did you fight so hard to protect her from this Pierre MacDonald person?"

"It's… it's because I love her." Francis admitted, clenching his fist as his emotions intensified, "I liked her the moment we met and we became the best of friends, but… but… I'm crazy for her!"

"Then why did you come back home looking for a girlfriend?" Jun followed up, "Why did you choose to be with Mio?"

"I didn't understand what I felt back then." Francis said, "I didn't want to look at Kotobuki-san in that light… Basically, I just wanted to stay as her friend since I really enjoyed being just that. I thought that if I find myself a girlfriend, I could get my mind off Kotobuki-san, but no… that feeling stayed lodged in my heart. As the days passed, I just slowly drifted apart from Mio and Kotobuki-san. That's why I resorted to extreme measures to try to warm up to Mio again…

At Kotobuki-san's villa, I remember Mio joke about how much I loved Fraulein, saying that I might have loved a violin more than I loved her. I wanted to show that that wasn't the case, but that wasn't exactly the truth. Gosh… look where that's gotten me."

I then turned to Suzuki-kun, thinking that I could solve his case with one more hit.

"So why don't you…?"

"Ask Kotobuki-san out instead?" Suzuki-kun asked, as if he saw that suggestion coming from a mile away, "Impossible. First of all, Mio and I are still together. Things may not be as good between us as it had been in the past, but it would be unfair to her if I just did that on a whim.

Then, there's the obvious fact that Kotobuki-san loathes me now after what I did. I'm sure she only liked me as a friend in the first place, but I broke a promise… no, I broke many promises when I sold and lost Fraulein. Saying she must feel betrayed would be quite light."

Just when I thought we had won, Suzuki-kun's counterattack halted our momentum in an instant. I found myself unable to speak.

"Tainaka-senpai, Satoshi told me this earlier at school. The two of us screwed up. All there is to do now is to suck it up… that is all we can do."

Azusa, Jun and I looked at each other somewhat distressed. We had predicted Suzuki-kun's feelings accurately enough, but we were completely caught off-guard by his stance. Nonetheless, it didn't feel right. We had assembled every fact and detail we could find, but I couldn't help but think that there was something we had overlooked… as if there was a missing piece in this puzzle - a very large piece, at that.

It was at that time that my cellphone buzzed once, followed by Suzuki-kun's cellphone buzzing once as well. The two of us had received text messages from the same person – Mio. I wonder what this was all about.

* * *

Back in the Hirasawa household, Mio was sitting at the side of Yui's bed. There weren't any other seats in the room aside from Yui's desk chair, so the guitarist let her sit there while she wrote. From there, Mio could see Yui's Gibson Les Paul called 'Gitah' standing upright on his stand. Right beside it was Ui's Fender-Squier Telecaster called 'Tele', standing upright as well. Turning back to Yui, she watched as her 'student' slowly wrote down words and phrases on the pad of paper Mio had lent her, erasing every so often and stopping to pause and review as well.

"I just came up with a title." Yui then announced, "What about… U & I?"

"U & I?"

"Yes." Yui confirmed, "Nifty title, no?"

Clearly, the elder Hirasawa still had a place in her heart for her younger sister Ui.

The bassist listened in awe, as Yui read out the lyrics she had made. At the moment, it was an incoherent mess of phrases with hints of rice and searching for soy sauce – a mess due to be cleaned up and revised at a later time. The message within it all, the message that Yui's heart longed to convey, was still one of love for her younger sister. It made Mio, the so-called expert lyricist, feel weak in comparison.

Yui, who was most scarred by the shock of Ui's decision and would shut out everyone but a trusted friend on the context of betrayal, would still be able to declare her love. She, on the other hand, had lost nothing significant the day the Light Music Club effectively fell apart but still cannot muster the strength to be honest.

"That was a lot in such a short time." Mio told her student, amazed by Yui's swift progress, "Coming up with lyrics so quickly… you should be teaching _me_ how to write lyrics."

"Eh? Why is that?" Yui asked innocently, "I just did what you told me to do – I drew the words in my heart."

Hearing this from Yui, Mio suddenly felt at a loss. She couldn't take this anymore. This was the second time she had taught somebody that technique – the technique that she couldn't get herself to apply… no longer. Mio then promptly fished out her cellphone and sent out two text messages, one to Ritsu and one to Francis.

"Thanks Yui." Mio then said as she texted, "You just helped me out, big time."

"Me? Help you?" Yui asked, confused, "I thought you were the one teaching me?"

"Sometimes, teachers ought to learn from their students too." Mio said with a smile, "Do you think you have a handle of basic songwriting now?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Then I beg your pardon, Yui, but I have to go. There is something I have to do… something I should have done a long time ago."

* * *

A good half hour later, Suzuki-kun and I were standing silently at a park near Sakura-gakou. The aftertaste of our earlier confrontation was still pungent, lingering on our tongues, but we had put that all behind us for the time being. After we were both summoned by Mio to the park, we were more interested in why the bassist did so than our past emotional squabble.

Suzuki-kun must have gone since he hasn't really seen much of Mio after the incident at the Hirasawa household. I on the other hand went since Mio's text was very reminiscent of the one she had sent me the day she had asked me to come to her house – the day Suzuki-kun and Mugi got back from San Francisco.

"What do you think she called us here for?" I asked the half-Canadian

"Your guess is as good as mine, Tainaka-senpai." Francis sighed, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Just as I was about to turn to my watch to check the time, our summoner arrived.

"I'm sorry for calling the both of you out here all of the sudden." Mio apologized with a quick nod, "But there is something important I believe the two of you should know."

She then led the two of us to a bench in the park and asked us to take a seat. We did as we were told, but Mio chose to stay on her feet.

"I have a confession to make." She then said, facing the two of us, "It's complicated, but… you know…"

"Spit it out, Mio." I said, asking her to get to the point. She then took a firm stance and spoke.

"I'm a lesbian."

"You're a what!" Suzuki-kun and I said at roughly the same time. My best friend is a lesbian? Oh lordy…

"It's true, Francis, Ritsu…" Mio then said unflinchingly, "I am infatuated with girls and I always have been infatuated with girls."

"Oh boy…" Suzuki-kun groaned, leaning forward and covering his face with his hands

"I've been hiding it for so long, hoping to keep it a secret, but it has become a burden for me… and for everyone else." Explained the bassist, "Especially the two of you. I played around with you, Francis…"

Suzuki-kun then turned to his girlfriend with eyes that showed no one singular expression.

"What is the meaning of this?" Francis asked, "I… I thought."

"You're a good man, Francis. One of the nicest boys I have met, truly." Mio told him, "I like you, I really do… but not in that way. I'm sorry."

"Then why?" Francis demanded, "Why did you do this? I want to know!"

"It's because I wanted to hide what I truly was." Mio revealed, "I love being around my friends… with the girls of the Light Music Club. You're very easy to get along with too, Francis, and even Satoshi-kun has his merits. I just thought that if you all knew about it, you would all avoid me… or hate me. That's what happened to me in Elementary… and even for a little while back in Middle School. I didn't want that to hound me for the rest of my life!"

"But here you are now, showing it out in the open." I said, folding my arms, "That's quite the feat there, Mio."

"I couldn't bear keeping this secret to myself any longer." Mio replied, "Especially when that secret helped tear apart the very club that I love."

She then turned to Suzuki-kun and looked him straight in the eye.

"Also… I'm not the only one keeping a secret." Mio continued, "You didn't have to say a word, but it was Mugi who was in your heart. It became clearer to me soon enough."

"That's true." Francis said willingly, "She is the one I've always liked."

"Thought so." Mio said. She then took a step back and faced the both of us there seated on the bench. "So now that you know about my secret… will you think about me differently? I won't blame you all if you hate me now… I have been unreasonably selfish… and scared."

"Mio." I said, standing up and laying a hand on her shoulder, "We've been friends for as long as I could remember. It doesn't matter to me if you like girls or boys, you're still good ole Mio to me. Nothing will ever change my perception of you, old buddy."

"Really?" Mio gasped happily, "You mean it."

"Yeah!" I said with a grin, "Don't let crap like that get you down. You should be happy to be yourself, Mio. Let other people think what they want. It's your personal preference so they have no business to judge you differently from any other person."

"T… thank you." Mio stuttered, an awkward smile forming on her face, "Oh Ritsu…"

The girl then put her arms around me and locked me in an embrace. It was a little embarrassing, but I returned the favor. Once she let go, she then whispered something in my ear.

"I was also wondering if… perhaps… you could possibly accompany me on this journey."

"Do you mean to be…, you know?"

"A couple." She said with a shy smile, "If there was someone I want to be at my side… it would have to be you, Ritsu."

"I'm sorry." I said shaking my head, "I'm straight after all."

"Is that so…"

"But I'd be more than happy to stay as your friend." I reassured, "That, you can count on!"

"That's good enough for me." She said, satisfied with that, "All I really wanted was for you to accept me for who I am, after all."

With a great, great sigh of relief, Mio turned to Suzuki-kun, now asking for his response. It wasn't very favorable.

"How could I not feel bad after what you did?" Suzuki-kun said plainly, "Because of what happened between us… Kotobuki-san is…"

"Like I said, Francis, I'm sorry." Mio said, "It's no use dwelling in the past though. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I would be more than happy to help set things right between you two again."

"And the Light Music Club… or what's left of it, would be there to help out too." I added, "What do you say, Suzuki-kun?"

"Are you honest this time, Mio?" Francis asked, "Will you really help me out?"

"I will." Mio said, "I'll also help restore the Light Music Club too. I have a lot to atone for."

"Thank you, Mio." I said with a smile, "And Suzuki-kun?"

"Count me in." Francis said determinedly, "I'm done ignoring the feelings I've been harboring for her… that grease ball MacDonald was right about one thing. If there is a time for me to be absolutely clear, this is the time."

It wasn't the way we had planned it to work out, but Jun's plan worked out. Our future just seemed a little bit brighter.

* * *

The very next day, Suzuki-kun attended the Light Music Club meeting again as did Mio. We sat together at the table and it was very much refreshing to see less unoccupied seats. Then, to our surprise, there was another person who followed Suzuki-kun and Mio to the third floor of Sakura-gakou

"I heard about your plan." She said, as she poked her head out from behind the door, "Mio-chan told me about it at lunchtime."

"Yui-senpai!" Azusa greeted, happy to see Yui again

"Azu-nyan." Yui said with a weak smile, "So… is it true? Are you planning to convince her to… keep going?"

"That is correct." I said tactfully, trying to gauge how the brunette was feeling at the moment, "Ui chose this path on her own accord and she's only considering coming back since she thinks everything has gone to hell. That's not the case anymore, Yui. We can't force her back if she doesn't want to…"

"Because she's chasing a dream." Yui said, continuing my sentence, "Just like all of us did… just like all of us will."

"Yui…"

"Can I come back, Riichan?" Yui asked with a tearful smile, "Back to the HTT?"

"You are always welcome in the HTT, Yui." I said with a kind nod, "As long as there is no bad blood between us."

"There never was." Yui replied, "I got mad that night since I thought letting her go meant that you and Satoshi-kun didn't care about Ui. I was gravely mistaken. You both loved her more than I did… and I have to learn to support her, rather than just wanting to keep her right here at my side all the time."

"It's alright Yui. We understand." I assured, "So, Hirasawa-san. Are you interested in joining the Light Music Club?"

"Yes I am." Yui said, "I'm glad to be home."

**To Be Continued**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** For the full, detailed account of the Montreal trip, you refer to my supplementary story 'Snowbanks'*. Snowbanks is set in between Time Out! Substitution and Full Court Press!


	26. Of Second Chance Points And Violins

**Author's Notes: **Hello everyone! As you may have seen in my profile, I have entered an academic hiatus, preparing for my upcoming Finals exams. To recap what I had written there, I will be back in action temporarily in April 16 then completely free to write again on April 22. I had this chapter stored up in my hard drive, so I practically overrode my hiatus to have this last chapter published. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope to see you again in the near future! Thanks!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 26**

In the hallowed halls of the Osaka Conservatory, the music played by its world famous Philharmonic Orchestra resounded in all of its glory. Many a visitor who had come to the Conservatory heard the magnificent sound coming from the Grand Conservatory Theater and was enticed to see the famous group in action for their own eyes and ears.

Delight was the most dominant reaction drawn from these visitors. The experience of hearing the heavenly melodies weaved by the members of the Orchestra was enhanced by actually seeing the men and women play their instruments live. On the other hand, surprise was also present amongst the visitors. Leading the Orchestra on the grand piano in the symphonies was the youngest of the group's members – a golden haired girl with masterful and lithe hands.

The symphony the Orchestra played then came to an end and the sea of enticed visitors gave them a round of applause. They then dispersed to return to what they had been doing prior to that, leaving the Orchestra to wrap up their meeting.

Before the orchestra members could go, Mr. Kotobuki rounded them up and reminded them of one of their upcoming events they had in store for that year. It was an early Christmas concert in November they were holding as a charity event. Needless to say, Kotobuki Corp would be one of the largest sponsors and contributors.

He went over the details once, answered a few questions then ended the meeting for the day.

"Good work today, honey." Mrs. Kotobuki said, giving her husband a peck on the cheek, "You're doing a fine job as the maestro, my dear. It was right for us to return to the orchestra."

"Indeed, we made the right decision." Mr. Kotobuki agreed, "One day, when our Tsumugi can handle Kotobuki Corp, we'll retire and spend the rest of our days here on the orchestra."

"Hmm… but Tsumugi does seem committed to the Orchestra as well though." Mrs. Kotobuki said, "We'll just have to see what the future holds."

Mrs. Kotobuki then packed up her cello and she and her husband prepared to go home.

"Tsumugi." Mr. Kotobuki called out to his daughter, "We ought to be leaving soon."

"Father." Tsumugi replied, still sitting behind the piano, "Would it be alright for me to stay here a little while longer? I just feel like playing the piano by myself for a bit."

The pianist's parents gave her the time she requested and sat at the front row of the theater to wait for their daughter. Tsumugi then started to play Canon in D, the rendition of the song that had impressed the old maestro back in Montreal and subsequently her father in San Francisco.

"Tsumugi really loves that song, no?" Mr. Kotobuki whispered to his wife seated beside him, "It must be her favorite piece."

"The orchestra played that song as a duet piece." Mrs. Kotobuki reminded, "I'm not sure if they had the exact same arrangements in Montreal, but Tsumugi and the young master Francis played that song together."

"Ah, right… Mr. Francis Suzuki." Mr. Kotobuki sighed, leaning to a side of his seat, "It's a shame that he quit the Orchestra all of the sudden. He was doing really well, working really hard too..."

"Our dear Tsumugi must be disappointed." Mrs. Kotobuki said, "They were quite the tandem."

"Aye, dear." Mr. Kotobuki agreed, "But we can't force the young master to join the orchestra if he doesn't want to."

He then saw a hint of resentment in his daughter's eyes as she played, disappearing in an instant.

"Could it be that…?"

* * *

"Here you go." Yui said as she set a cup of tea before me at the table, "It's still hot Riichan, so be careful."

That afternoon at the Music Room of Sakura-gakou there were six people gathered for the daily meeting. Once Yui, our temporary tea-server (who handled the job with surprising efficiency and effort), had finished pouring her own tea, there were only three empty seats now, two of which we hoped to refill with their original occupants.

"Alright, to start off today's meeting…" I said, leaning into my chair, "I was reading today's newspaper this morning and I have some good and bad news about Ui-chan."

Everyone then set aside their teacups to listen to what I had to say.

"The good news is that Ui-chan will have her debut performance at The Budokan. There's no exact date, but I believe it will be announced soon enough." I said as excitedly as my listeners were, "The bad news… well, the bad news is that people are saying that that would be when she would call it quits."

"That will be hard to prevent, Ritsu-senpai." Jun responded, "Budokan would basically be out of reach for us. And it's not like we can skip school with exam week coming up."

"Well, that's why we'll need Mugi on board too." I explained, "Surely, with the backing of the great Kotobuki Corp, we can…"

"The Kotobuki Corporation isn't big enough to help." Suzuki-kun then pointed out negatively, "The conglomerate that Ui is signed under is many times more financially powerful than Kotobuki Corp."

"Nah… that can't be." I said, not believing that there was a company that could even stand up to Kotobuki Corp, "Kotobuki Corp is the #1 company in Japan, right?"

"They're #1 in Osaka." Suzuki-kun replied, "They have some assets in Shiga Prefecture and some in Kyoto Prefecture. Tokyo and most of Japan is under the Platinum Group. (PNG) on the Nikkei, officially called Platinum Group Ltd. Jun and I come from a business-oriented family too, as unsuccessful as we are, so I know what I'm talking about. Check them out, senpai."

I took out the morning newspaper and flipped to the business section I never read. True enough, there was Platinum Group ranked as the top stock. Kotobuki Corp (KTB) was only at 67th. Even on the quarterly business report, comparing Kotobuki Corp to the Platinum Group was like comparing a mouse to a tiger.

"Oh damn…"

"That's not all." Suzuki-kun added, "Kotobuki-san told me this last year, but I still think it is mostly true. She said if Plat-Group willed it, they could buy out Kotobuki Corp with ease."

"It wouldn't hurt to give it a try, Suzuki-kun." Azusa then said, "We have to give it a shot."

"The only way for us to get to Budokan, if we can even get there, is if we own a significant enough share of the building to challenge Platinum Corp. Probably…" Francis argued, "If a behemoth like Platinum Corp can only own 30% of it, what will Kotobuki Corp be able to do?"

"But Suzuki-kun every little bit of help counts for us." I reminded, "And don't forget that we will need Mugi on our side as well. At the very least, don't you want to set things straight between you and Mugi?"

"I do… but…" Francis sighed, "How do I know she won't flat out reject me?"

"There were signs that she liked you too, Francis." Mio then said, "They were subtle, but I saw them quite clearly. Take the tea for example."

She then turned to Yui and asked her how she prepared everyone's tea.

"I just followed the instructions taped there under the cupboard." Yui said, pointing to the small sheet of paper hanging from the cupboard, "It had everyone's sugar and cream preferences and whatnot on it. Her notes were cute too."

"Really now?" Francis asked.

"Yes, Francis." Mio said, "Why don't you go take a look and see how much thought she put into everyone's tea."

The half-Canadian boy stood up and headed to the cupboard which was illuminated by the bright afternoon sun. He tugged on the paper to straighten it out and read the instructions the 'master tea server' had written by hand.

...

"_Azusa-chan is a straightforward girl who likes balance in her sugar and cream. A perfect mixture for the future leader of the Light Music Club! Serve with an equal amount of sugar and cream."_

_..._

_"My preference is more or less the same as Azusa-chan's. Serve with an equal amount of sugar and cream."_

_..._

_"Yui-chan loves sweets and likes generous servings of sugar. One might say she has a sweet tooth, but she is really just a sweet girl. Serve with a teaspoon and a half of sugar and a half teaspoon of cream."_

_..._

_"Mio-chan has no qualms about the mixtures of things and can even take tea as is. Her preference however is that her tea be cooled a little bit before served – a testament to the cool head she keeps at all times. Serve three minutes and thirty seconds with a dipped clean teaspoon after pouring."_

_..._

_"Riichan is the leader of the club, so she likes to have a mixture of just the right amount of sweetness and powdered milk for good measure. A strong frame makes for a strong leader, after all. Serve with a half teaspoon of sugar and a half teaspoon of powdered milk."_

_..._

_"Jun-chan is a courageous girl who prefers to take on things straight up, so the same must be true when it comes to tea. Serve with no sugar and a half teaspoon of cream."_

_..._

_"Now, Satoshi-kun and Ui-chan have the same preference in their tea. Truly a couple in love; sugar, the sweetness of life is all they need. Serve with a half teaspoon of sugar and nothing else."_

_..._

"That's the end of it." Suzuki-kun said, reaching the bottom of the page, "Tch… she didn't even write mine."

"Actually, Suzuki-kun, you have one – a really detailed one at that." Yui countered, "Check the back page."

Suzuki-kun scratched his head then carefully peeled off the sheet from the cupboard to read what was written behind it.

_..._

_"For Suzuki-kun, I prepare a most special treat. He is one of the nicest people I have ever known and has been very kind to me since the day we had met. Thus, I thank him by giving him the taste that he loves – a taste of his country. I serve his tea with a bit of maple syrup from his family company – The Suzuki Company. He told me about his family business' situation, so this would also be my little way of helping out. Serve with a quarter teaspoon of sugar, a half teaspoon of powdered milk and a teaspoon of Suzuki-brand maple syrup."_

_..._

The half-Canadian boy was speechless after what he had read. He never thought that Mugi had even cared about him that much… but isn't that what friends are for? Hasn't Suzuki-kun seen that yet?

"No wonder why her tea has always tasted so good…" Suzuki-kun muttered to himself, going over Mugi's instructions one more time

He then taped the paper back to the cupboard and opened the cupboard doors as if searching for something. Seated there side by side were the tins of powdered milk, sugar and cream – the usual fare. Then, he found them - a large yet nearly empty container of maple syrup and a similar container of maple syrup that was still unopened.

He took the two containers out which were all too familiar to him. He knew every single marking on it from the nutrition facts to the 'Product of Canada' written in both English and French. That meant that Suzuki-kun quickly spotted the unfamiliar writing Mugi had added by hand. The opened one had the words 'Pour le moment' which meant for the present. The unopened one on the other hand had 'Pour l'avenir' which meant for the future. Suzuki-kun put them back and thought out loud.

"I should have had more confidence in myself… I should have seen what was just there, right before my eyes."

He then turned to me and said,

"We need to get Mugi back with us." He said with determination, "I need her back."

"That's the first time you've called her Mugi." I said with a smirk

"She's been calling me 'Francis' for a while now. I ought to return the favor." He then said with a reminiscent smile, "I have a lot to be thankful for and to apologize for as well, especially after just throwing that kindness aside…"

"You still want to find Fraulein too, huh." Jun added, "Going to be tough to track her down, especially if someone already bought her. That was a real jump in value too… nearly tripled."

"Of course I want to find her, Jun… and I know it will be hard." Suzuki-kun replied, "To top things off… I don't think I'll be able to apologize to her without Fraulein. That's why I'm still a bit jumpy about all of this."

"Where exactly did you first sell Fraulein again, Suzuki-kun?" I asked

"The music shop at the strip mall." Suzuki-kun said, "It's the only music shop I know. That's where I bought my electric guitar too."

"Strip mall music shop…" Mio said, repeating the words, "Right… I saw you hanging around there when the snowstorm hit…"

"Yeah…" Suzuki-kun said shyly. It was probably one of their earlier meetings after Satoshi-kun's birthday.

"Wait a minute." Yui then said, "Isn't the strip mall music shop owned my Mugi-chan's company?"

"Right!" I gasped, "Kotobuki Corp owns that place!"

"No way…"

"Mr. and Mrs. Kotobuki then might be able to help us out with Fraulein." I suggested, "They might even be able to help you come to terms with Mugi too, if they can. It'll be like hitting two birds with one stone!"

"Eh… It will feel strange having to face uncle and auntie again…" Suzuki-kun moaned

"Well, since you're already calling them uncle and auntie, that shouldn't be too hard now, would it?"

"I hope you're right, Tainaka-san." Francis said, "I hope you're right."

* * *

"France." Satoshi said as he sat with Francis at the Osaka West Public High School cafeteria, "I already told you before, I want nothing to do with the Light Music Club."

"Dude… but even Yui-senpai signed back up." Francis countered, trying to change Satoshi's stance, "She doesn't hate you anymore…"

"It doesn't matter. We still won't be able to change Ui's mind like this. Yui-nee will just be hurt again, and I'll be at fault." Satoshi argued adamantly, "We have the finals exams we ought to be worrying about – we still have a whole year of High School to tread through. There's no way for us of ever reaching Budokan too."

"But…"

"And in case you've already forgotten, Okaeri is still dead… voiceless." Satoshi lashed, "Even if I wanted to act, I can't. Don't get my hopes up in something that will just become yet another disappointment."

"It won't be another disappointment, man…"

"Prove it."

"Uhm…"

In the end, Francis couldn't muster a proper response.

"See?" Satoshi sighed, "Life is harsh and expectation just drains us… really, why do we waste our times on such things? I'm sorry, France. I don't want to fool myself again."

Satoshi's head then drooped and saw underneath the table that his friend was wearing a pair of newly shined leather shoes. Francis almost always wore cheap-brand sneakers, so this change in fashion came to him as a surprise.

"I'm going to dinner tonight in a fancy restaurant." Francis explained, to his bewildered friend "Let's just say I have to look my best."

* * *

Later that night, Francis was walking through downtown Osaka, wearing his smartest set of clothing. He took extra time to prepare his clothes, brush his shoes, remove any and every hint of lint on his best sports coat and even comb his hair which had rarely ever come in contact with a comb before.

"This feels like San Francisco all over again." He muttered to himself, "Except that… she isn't with me. And in her place…"

"Hey, hey… you don't have to be complaining." Jun complained, overhearing her brother, "You asked me to come along, after all."

Just like her brother Francis, Jun was well-dressed and was still getting used to being in that sort of clothes. She was still trying to get a hang of walking on high heels and her hair had been let down and curled. She also muttered every so often that she would never use a curling iron ever again.

"Talking to them again after that would be a little bit awkward." Francis then said, "So I had to bring someone along… plus, if Mugi is there too then, you know."

"Well, I'm here for you bro." Jun said, patting her brother's shoulder, "Let's go."

The half-Canadian siblings walked on through town and eventually reached the high-end restaurant.

"We're with the Kotobukis." Francis told the maître d' behind podium entrance. The host then nodded in acknowledgement and led the siblings to a table where Tsumugi's parents sat. To Francis' mixed relief and disappointment, Tsumugi wasn't there.

"We invited our dear Tsumugi over too." Mrs. Kotobuki explained, "When we said you were coming along though, she suddenly said she had homework to do."

"Is that so..." Francis mumbled, clearly getting the message that Tsumugi was still angry at him. Judging by the way Francis sank into his seat, the Kotobukis must have gotten that message too. The half-Canadian then jolted up, remembering that he was in a five-star restaurant with people he had hoped to ask help from. He also knew that Mr. Kotobuki in particular was very sharp at catching flawed table manners as he had experienced many times before.

Trying not to mind that for now, the siblings dismantled the napkins intricately folded into sailor's hats, put them on their legs and took the menus laid out before them. They opened the menus to have a look at what they might be able to order for the night. Once they had a look at the prices, they gasped, hid from the Kotobukis behind their menus and faced each other.

"Dude!" Jun whispered, "This place is freaking expensive!"

"I know, right?" Francis replied, "Damn… the price is even in dollars."

"We'll be treating you tonight, you two." Mrs. Kotobuki then said cheerfully, hearing our discussion, "My husband and I did suggest this restaurant after all. Feel free to choose whatever you like."

Francis and Jun sighed in relief, promptly thanked the two then ordered the only thing on the menu they were somewhat used to eating. Being the Nova Scotians that they were, they ordered buttered lobster tail. A waiter came by, took their orders then left.

"So Mr. Suzuki, Ms. Suzuki." Mr. Kotobuki said, once the waiter was out of earshot "I assume you had asked to meet with us for more than lobster and caviar."

Francis lowered his eyes, gathering strength to speak his mind.

"I want to rejoin the Philharmonic Orchestra, uncle, auntie." Francis said straightforwardly, "The problem is I don't have my violin anymore."

"You don't have your violin anymore?" Mrs. Kotobuki gasped, "So that's why you quit all of the sudden."

"I sold her at the music store at the strip mall nearly a month ago." Francis said, "Just when I was about to buy her back, she was already bought... by an antique instrument enthusiast of sorts. Kotobuki Corp owns that shop, right?"

"Hmm... so you want our help in retrieving her." Mr. Kotobuki deduced. Francis replied with an earnest nod.

"I've spent some of my best days playing with the orchestra." Francis explained, "I truly, truly want to be part of it again."

The Kotobukis were pleased by Francis' eagerness to return and his straightforward drive, but were still quite troubled by the situation the half-Canadian boy was in.

"As much as I want to help you, Mr. Suzuki..." Mr. Kotobuki said with a crumpled brow, "I'm afraid that I can't help you."

"No?" Francis asked, "Why is that? Shouldn't there be some way to retrieve a sold item."

"Yeah… Items sold go through the system databases, don't they?" Jun supported, savvy of the standard issue retail schemes, "If so, then we should be able to track them down."

"There are two problems with that option, Mr. and Ms. Suzuki." Mr. Kotobuki said, "First of all, even if an item were to be recorded in our database, a sale is a sale. It would no longer be our item. Secondly, that shop doesn't normally deal in violins, so it won't be properly encoded into the database."

"Is there really no way for us to find her?" Francis asked, now desperate to find his violin, "Please, I'm willing to do anything…"

Mr. Kotobuki was compelled to tell Francis to just go and find another violin at a local store and to re-join like another member. It was at this time that Francis then revealed his ulterior motive for finding his Fraulein.

"Finding her again would be my way of apologizing to Tsumugi." Francis revealed, "She is mad at me for losing my violin and for giving up the orchestra for something foolish… finding Fraulein again is the only way she will forgive me."

The Kotobukis were moved by his words. Not only was it because they were already fond of the former violinist, but also because they knew that this predicament was weighing heavily on their daughter as well. Mr. Kotobuki cleared his throat then spoke to Francis in a commanding voice,

"My daughter came home from Montreal, talking fondly of a man in a mask who had offered her a dance then promptly disappeared as he was chased away by guards. Are you he?"

Francis closed his eyes for a moment and saw the magnificent night he had danced with the pianist – the girl he refused to believe that he had loved. Blue Moon played in his mind as clearly as it had sounded when his hand was intertwined with Tsumugi's and as they held on to each other on the dance floor, not wanting to let go.

"I am." Francis said firmly. The Kotobukis only replied with happy expressions – they had both suspected that that was the case. Perhaps, they had even hoped that that was the case.

"Then let me tell you this, lad." Mr. Kotobuki continued, "All you truly need to do for Tsumugi to forgive you is to take off that mask… show your face."

"And I do intend to show my face, sir." Francis replied, "I've been hesitating and hesitating and hesitating even more… but now, I wish to show my face. All I want is a chance for me to do so."

"That, we can help you with." Mrs. Kotobuki said with a smile, "Not too long from now, the Orchestra will be having an early Christmas charity concert at the Osaka Conservatory. As you may very well know by now, our doors will always be open to a talented violinist like you."

"Thank you very much." Francis said appreciatively, "But… what if I can't find Fraulein? I'll be without a violin…"

"You may not have your violin, but you will not be without instrument! You bought another instrument in her stead, no?" Mr. Kotobuki replied with a supportive wink, "An electric guitar, if I am correct. That transaction, I saw in the database."

"Electric guitar with the orchestra?" Francis asked, shocked by Mr. Kotobuki's indirect suggestion, "That's…"

"Not a bad idea…" Jun said, totally derailing Francis' train of thought

"Of course, it would be nice if you could find your violin again, lad. But, the electric guitar will have to do for now." Mr. Kotobuki added, "It doesn't matter what instrument you wield on the stage. It is the message that matters in a song, no?"

"You're absolutely right." Francis said motivated, "It's the message that matters… Thank you uncle, auntie… this is more than I could have ever asked for."

"Now, now, Francis dear." Mrs. Kotobuki reminded, "This isn't over yet. A lot of things have to be done."

"I will do my best." Francis promised, "I will do what it takes."

"There's one last thing though, son." Mr. Suzuki added with a smirk, "Can you still play Canon in D?"

* * *

Azusa Nakano lay on her bed, facing the ceiling with her arms spread out. In her hand was her cellphone where a text message from Jun was still opened.

"_Mugi-senpai's parents are helping out! Wahoo! The lobster here was damn nice too, Azusa! Who knew and butter and lemon can… gah, I'm rambling. See you tomorrow!_"

The sophomore guitarist then stretched, relieved that Francis and Jun had rallied up some more support for their cause. Thinking about that reminded her of her closest friend Ui and the many memories they had shared when she was still there in Osaka. Her reminiscing of course was no solely happy ordeal. Along with the happy thoughts the memories invoked, the fallout from Ui's initial decision to chase her dreams gave Azusa mixed feelings.

She then got up from her bed and went over to a bookshelf in her room, drawing an album that she had meticulously compiled until Ui had gone to Tokyo. Though she knew going through such things would only bring about more questions, she opened it regardless hoping to find some answers to her questions.

She, Ui and Jun were supposed to make up the core of the Light Music Club the next year, Azusa recalled as she flipped through the pages, stopping to chuckle at a funny picture scattered here and there. A number of memorable trinkets were among their ranks as well – the (now damaged) pick Azusa had lent Ui when she had first gotten Tele, the three tickets the trio had bought to enter Osaka West during the Winter Music Festival and things like that.

Then, to Azusa's surprise, there was a sheet of paper tucked behind a picture of her, Ui and Azusa posing around their upperclassman Yui Hirasawa who was dressed up as a tree for Romeo and Juliet. It was folded in two, so she couldn't make out the writing as it sat. Giving off a sigh, she reached underneath the album page's film cover and pulled out the sheet.

"Magic Mirror." Azusa said reading the title at the top center of the page, "By Satoshi Tainaka and Ui Hirasawa. Draft 1."

She spread the sheet out flat on the album and saw the countless little corrections and comments accompanying the first draft of the lyrics. They ranged from erased notations of trying out the F# minor instead of G# minor in one phrase to words of praises about the melody or the lyrics, and of course short, hopeful non-music related messages written by Satoshi and Ui.

One message from Satoshi said that he would be with Ui forever. Another message from Ui said that she was excited for both Okaeri and the HTT going to Nagoya. That draft must have been written long before Sawako Yamanaka had spilled the beans about the Nagoya LIVE offer.

A lot of the things on the paper were tragically ironic now and Azusa understood that quite well. However, she felt as if that sheet may have been the answer to a question she herself couldn't even recall anymore. She put the album and the sheet on her bed, took up her guitar and tried to play the melody written there. Being adept on the guitar, she was able to master it without too much trouble.

"Ui sure knows how to make a nice melody." Azusa said, praising her friend who wasn't there. "And Satoshi-kun's lyrics are touching too."

Thinking about the two of them, Azusa came up with an idea. She fretted the strings for the first phrase, strummed it, and then tried to sing the intro of the song.

"_The glass pieces have broken_

_What remains now is the truth._

_All I want, in this world, is your love._"

Azusa then spent the rest of the night, mastering the rest of the song but not without her share of slip-ups and problems, especially on the vocal parts. It reminded her of the time when she, Tsumugi, Sawako and Mio confronted the imposter Yui and Ritsu at the Cultural Festival. She remembered that even Ui had trouble juggling singing and playing the guitar. The question in her mind now was how Ui surpassed that and became the voice of Okaeri. Azusa was eager to know.

* * *

The next morning, on my way to school with Mio and Yui (it was nice to finally have her on board again), I saw that paper boy again peddling the local morning paper. Handing the boy a bill (damn our low-value currency), I asked for a copy and started reading immediately.

Reading the morning newspaper sold in front of our school became a bit of a habit of mine recently to watch out for any new developments about Ui in Tokyo. So far, nothing dramatic has happened since the first wave of rumors, but I prefer to be alert regardless. I also turned to be business section to check the stock market too, cheering for Kotobuki Corp as it inched its way to close the gap between it and Platinum Group. As of last night, after all, Kotobuki Corp would be one of the allies we could rely on.

Another thing that caught my eye in that morning's edition was a remarkably large advertisement of the Kotobuki Corp, advertising the Osaka Philharmonic's charity concert. I've been seeing this advertisement more frequently in recent days, so I was familiar with every detail of it. That particular version of the ad however was different – aside from the charity concert, they were also holding what seemed to be an auction for antique instruments.

That must have been Mugi's parents' plan to retrieve Fraulein. If that was the case though, the Light Music Club would have to pool together its resources to be able to stand a chance of reclaiming the discarded family heirloom (and Mugi's trust, probably). Considering that scenario, funding would naturally be our priority conversational topic later that afternoon.

"150,000 kinsu is all Jun and I can scrounge up," Suzuki-kun said, writing that number on a pad of paper, "any more, and my sister and I will be visiting food banks from now on. Natsuki-senpai gave me 50,000 too as her support."

"100,000 kinsu from me and 50,000 from Nodoka-chan." Yui said happily, writing on the paper as well, "Don't worry, she didn't take from the student council fund – it is her own money."

"So right, I'm next." Mio said, writing on the pad "100,000 kinsu as well."

"And the I pledge 150,000 kinsu." I followed, adding the last number to the pad, "That brings us to 600,000 kinsu! That's quite a bit of cash!"

"600,000 kinsu isn't very big, when you look at it though." Sawa-chan interrupted, sipping a cup of tea. "That's worth two or three of my monthly paychecks…"

Oh right, Sawa-chan was with us today. Why did she have to be so negative though…

"I didn't get my raise, that's why…!" Sawa-chan complained, "Is an extra 20,000 per month too much to ask for?"

For students like us who often had zero non-allowance income, 20,000 a month was quite a lot to ask for.

"Plus…" Sawa-chan said, putting a pile of money on the table, "I'm lending 300,000 kinsu to a bunch of kids who want to buy a violin. I'll need some sort of compensation."

"Tea and snacks everyday for this year and the next." Azusa proposed, "How does that sound?"

"Tasty and delicious. I'll take it!" The teacher replied. Thank goodness that was all she wanted. In any case, that brought our money pool to a whopping 900,000 kinsu. Now _that_ was quite a bit of money.

"That bastard collector bought her for 350,000 kinsu." Suzuki-kun said determinedly, "With this sort of cash, we'll definitely get her back this time!"

"Hopefully that auction will draw him out." I said, "But that's done for now. We have more pressing matters to attend to. Suzuki-kun, Jun-chan, could you please explain?"

"Gladly." Francis said clearing his throat, "The Philharmonic' charity concert is fast approaching. So if we don't want to screw up, we ought to start practicing with them immediately."

"But only after their practice is through - once Mugi-senpai has already left." Jun added, "That means we'll be practicing late into the night."

"Will there be snacks?" Yui then asked

"Uh, Yui… we already went to the Osaka Conservatory, remember?" I said, "Snacks and drinks aren't allowed in there."

"Aw, darn~…"

"Anyways," Jun-chan continued, "Since we are trying to be discreet, we'll only use a basic three-man setup; bass, drum and guitar. No vocalist. The rest will be attending the auction to watch out for Fraulein, should she appear."

"Hmm… Suzuki-kun will definitely be the guitarist… and Ritsu-senpai is the only drummer we have." Azusa said, trying to plan who would be going where, "That leaves either Jun-chan or Mio-senpai to play bass."

"I'd say Mio-senpai should play bass on this one." Jun suggested, "I can recognize Fraulein from miles away… and I'm sure Mio-senpai would have some words with Mugi-senpai. I'd just probably say hi."

"It's settled then." Mio said, "So it will be me, Ritsu and Francis playing with the orchestra. How many songs will we be doing?"

"Just one. We did ask to be integrated quite late after all." Suzuki-kun answered. "That will be our one shot to convince Mugi to rejoin us… my one chance to apologize."

"I'm down with that." I said, cracking my knuckles, eager to play, "So when do we start?"

"We start tonight and attend every night until the performance. We don't have a lot of time left… nor did we have a lot to begin with."

Suzuki-kun wasn't kidding about us being strapped for time. What seemed like an eternity of secret practice sessions with a handful of the orchestra members and Mr. Kotobuki or Mrs. Kotobuki (but never both) flowed by very quickly.

Before long, we, the six remaining members of the Light Music Club, found ourselves huddled at the courtyard of the Osaka at the day of the charity concert. There had been a number of close calls in those practices, such as Mio being torn between using an acoustic bass and her electric one (she opted to go for the acoustic this time – one less amp to deal with) and Mugi nearly catching us secretly practicing. Mugi even almost saw us at the courtyard too, but we were blocked off by the crowd of attendants and performers. Aside from discussion, we also huddled together to stay low.

Sawa-chan, who had insisted on coming along, had already gone on ahead to the Conservatory hoping to catch Mugi before the performance. Exactly how that would help, I couldn't tell, but it wouldn't hurt to let Sawa-chan try. Anyways, back to topic…

"Alright boy and girls, this is it!" I said excitedly, "Are the instruments ready?"

"We stashed them backstage already." Mio reported, "The question is are _we_ ready."

"We have to be ready." Suzuki-kun said, "We can do this if we believe in ourselves."

"Right you are, Suzuki-kun." I said, "So Azusa, Jun-chan, Yui, can you find your own way to the Conservatory Atrium?"

"I used to go here a lot with my bro." Jun reassured, "We'll find our way."

"And the money…?"

"Right here." Azusa said, showing an envelope with our 900,000 kinsu fund. "We won't be outbid!"

"We're all good to go then." I said, ending the huddle, "For the Light Music Club!"

"For the Light Music Club!"

"Move out!"

* * *

At the Conservatory, Sawako Yamanaka, who was wearing more formal clothes than usual, walked calmly through the Osaka Philharmonic's trophy room. A few minutes ago, she had lost track of the pianist she had hoped to get a hold of before the show, so she decided to console herself by checking that particular room out. Then, to her surprise, she saw Tsumugi Kotobuki at the far end of the trophy room.

"What is she doing here?" Sawako thought to herself, "Isn't the show going to start soon?"

The teacher walked on over to where she was and saw that she was standing in between two pictures – the Philharmonic's photo from Montreal, 2010 and from San Francisco, 2011. As the teacher approached, she saw that the pianist had her eyes on the latter picture, focused on herself standing next to Francis Suzuki and smiling. The smiles on their faces however made her feel bitter.

"Reminiscing before a performance?" Sawako then said, standing next to the pianist, "I never thought you were a sentimental one Kotobuki-san."

"Sawa-chan." Tsumugi gasped, surprised that her metal-loving teacher was dressed up formally, "Are you here for the show?"

"Yes I am." Sawako replied, "So, I'm a little bit surprised to see one of the show's stars hanging around here."

"You're here to watch a classical concert?" Tsumugi asked, surprise still evident in her voice, "Won't you feel out of place?"

"Well, Kotobuki-san, in case you didn't know, Rock came from Classical and both genres are passionate – energy from both rock and classical concerts can be riveting. I've been to symphonies before, and I tell you, I enjoy them too." Sawako said knowingly, "I believe that's the reason why you liked playing with the HTT too, no?"

"Perhaps…" Tsumugi sighed, "But with the way things are… I don't know how I feel about them now. I don't know if they even care about me at all…"

"They are worried about you." Sawako then said, "You are a member of the Light Music Club, after all."

"Former member."

"You never signed a resignation form." Sawako countered, "And the club president would probably not approve it even if you did."

Sawako's words swayed Tsumgui's guard.

"How could they not care for the person who cares about them?" Sawako said, continuing her assault, "You may not see it, but your kindness, your service, your talent is very much appreciated. And it's not only the girls who feel that way… I'm sure Tainaka-kun loved his tea when he was there, as does Suzuki-kun."

"Francis…" Tsumugi squeaked. Once she realized the name she had muttered, she turned aside bashfully.

"Just as I thought." Sawako said perceptively, "It's not just the club you're sad about. You're sad about Suzuki-kun too."

Tsumugi didn't say a word, folding her arms as if trying not to give anything away.

"Suzuki-kun cares about you more than you could ever know." Sawako said, "That corner over there, the next spot in the trophy room… have a look."

Tsumugi raised her eyes and saw the small metallic plate at the corner of the wall. Its engraving read 'Helsinki 2012'.

"You want to see him there smiling next to you too, don't you?" Sawako asked, "Well, so does he."

The pianist then felt her heart start to beat quickly. She placed a hand on her chest and felt her heart race as she listened to Sawako.

"All he wants is a chance."

"What do you mean?" Tsumugi asked

"Well, I have to go now. The show is about to start." Sawako said, ignoring the girl's query, "I suggest you get on stage too. You wouldn't want to miss your very own show now, would you?"

Tsumugi wanted to complain, but heeded the teacher's advice. She took a breath then jogged over to the backstage of the main theater while the teacher went for the entrance. All the while, Tsumugi pondered what it is Sawako meant by Francis wanting a chance… but strangely, she felt as if she would soon find out.

* * *

At the grand Atrium of the Conservatory, Jun, Yui and Azusa were seated at the far end of the room. The auction had already begun and there was a sea of people hoping to purchase the items exhibitioned that day. Three items had already been sold, but, to their relief, none of them was Francis' violin. The only frightening thing would be the prices at which the subsequent items were being sold at. Prices quickly rose in that room as the competition heated up and some items have been sold at 500,000 kinsu. To make matters worse, as the show went on, prices only kept going up, up and up.

Jun Suzuki held on to her bidding sign, labeled '125', tightly and scanned the exhibitions carefully, waiting for Fraulein to reveal herself. When she did, she would be the first to bid and she would not let anyone outbid her.

"And… for article number twenty two." The auction master said, "We have this beatiful violin that… dates back from World War I! Would you look at that folks? Bidding starts at 50,000 kinsu."

Francis' sister clenched her fist, and muttered,

"Let's do this!"

* * *

Suzuki-kun, Mio and I sat behind a curtain on the stage of the main theater. Mio held on to the acoustic bass Mr. Kotobuki had loaned, Suzuki-kun wore his Squier Stratocaster over his shoulder and I held on to my drumsticks. From there, we could hear the Osaka Philharmonic play a rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. I was never really a fan of classical music, but the sheer spectrum of emotion the Orchestra brought to the table was unbelievable.

This particular orchestra, Suzuki-kun would tell me as we listened, was built heavily around its strings section and the pianist. With such a setup, the head of the strings section and the pianist would be the most prominent figures on stage and would be the anchors of the entire orchestra.

Apparently, Mugi had been asking her father, the maestro of the Orchestra, to promote Francis to the head of strings. The previous head of the strings section had chosen to retire after the San Francisco concert, leaving the spot open to the half-Canadian boy. Mr. Kotobuki decided to give Suzuki-kun a shot (as the charity show would have been a way to gauge his prowess), so Mugi must have been shocked that Francis had to quit too. That night, Mrs. Kotobuki, Mugi's mother, was the head of strings and was armed with the cello we had seen in their Kyoto villa.

Once the symphony ends, it would be our cue to enter. Mio would sneak in and join the strings section, I would push the basic drum set I was standing behind onto the stage and Francis would connect his guitar to a main amplifier then take the role of the head of strings.

"A guitar, whether or electric or acoustic, is still a string instrument." Mrs. Kotobuki had told Suzuki-kun during one of the practices, "Plus, this was the role you deserve to play."

Suzuki-kun held on to the neck of his guitar nervously, pondering on those words. Just then, the symphony ended and the curtains started to open.

"Ready, you two?" I asked, preparing to push the drum set forward. The two of them nodded, and prepared to appear on stage.

To keep the attention off of us, Mr. Kotobuki talked to the audience about the upcoming song. All eyes were on him as he talked about Canon in D, which was, as I was told, one of the orchestra's mainstays and one of their most famous renditions. It also turned out to be one of Mugi's favorite songs.

Mio and I got into our positions almost unnoticed by the audience and were ready to play. Mugi and the strings section opened up the famous classical song as they had always done and Mio's plucking of the acoustic bass blended in seamlessly. When Suzuki-kun and I would enter, we would be a lot more blatant. The first few bars of the intro passed and Suzuki-kun plugged in his guitar and I started to lay down a beat.

Once she heard the drums, Mugi was a tad bit confused. She turned to her father, the maestro, to see if something wrong was about. She doesn't remember having a drum set play in the orchestra, after all. Mr. Kotobuki however kept conducting and she figured she should just play on. Then, the part Mugi had thought would be done by her mother's cello was played by Suzuki-kun on the electric guitar.

Our audience, led by Sawa-chan, cheered for the surprise appearances vigorously. Mugi saw Sawa-chan stand up from where she sat and remembered her encounter with her earlier that day. Still playing, she turned to her father a second time and was surprised to see that he was now smiling as he conducted.

The foreign yet complementing sound of the electric guitar grew louder for Mugi and she realized that there was someone now standing beside the piano. It was Suzuki-kun – she couldn't believe her eyes nor her ears.

I had never seen Suzuki-kun play Canon in D on the violin yet, but it must have sounded a lot like the way he played it on the electric guitar now. Suzuki-kun didn't play with the rapid-fire strumming one usually sees done on an electric guitar. If it weren't for the overdrive, his playing would have passed for a classical guitar and would have blended well with the rest of the orchestra as a whole. Even though it came as a surprise when we started practicing with Orchestra, it didn't hinder the other members or overpower the other instruments at all. It was as if the instrument switch had been a nonfactor. Mugi's piano too, which would be closely linked to the way the head of strings would play, was very much in sync with his playing. All together, it sounded nothing short of amazing.

Neither Mugi nor Suzuki-kun spoke as they played, but they stole glances at each other every so often. From those glances, Mugi couldn't believe that what was happening was real while Suzuki-kun assured her that it was real. The music swelled towards the end, with Mugi's left hand pressing on the keys harder and Suzuki-kun now strumming with gusto as well. The song ended, as did the show, and our performance was met with thunderous applause. All of us bowed to the audience, thanking them for their support, and the main curtains closed. Mugi immediately turned around and ran towards Suzuki-kun, embracing him as tightly as she could.

"I thought…" Mugi said, sniffing as she struggled to wipe the tears flowing from her eyes, "I thought we'd never perform again…"

"You promised to show me Helsinki, right?" Suzuki-kun asked, facing Mugi with a smile, "I wouldn't want to miss that, you know."

"But… but…" Mugi said, still dazed from what had happened, "How did you…"

"We helped him out." I said, as Mio and I joined the two, revealing ourselves to the pianist, "We want you back Mugi. The Light Music Club just isn't the same without you."

"Oh, you guys." Mugi said, now embracing me and Mio, "You were thinking about me all along. I'm… sorry, for avoiding you all. I just…"

"It's alright Mugi." Mio reassured her, "We understand how you feel. But rest assured, we appreciate everything you've done for us too. We saw the note you had on the cupboard."

"The cupboard…" Mugi gasped, "Oh, so you must have read what I wrote there…"

Mio nodded and the pianist quickly bowed to Mio in apology.

"I… I didn't mean to write something embarrasing about Francis." Mugi said desperately, "I… I don't want to get in between the two of you."

"Relax, relax." Mio said, calming her down, "It's a long story… we'll tell you later, but Francis and I broke up on good terms."

"But Francis…" Mugi said, turning to Suzuki-kun again, "Why did you do that? Isn't Mio the first person you liked?"

"Well…" Suzuki-kun said, taking out the sleek black mask he had worn in Montreal, "I did it because _'I am nobody special'_."

Mugi then started to blush as the two of them looked into each other's eyes. She was clearly overcome by happiness.

"I knew it was you." Mugi then said, holding his hand, "I had no evidence then, but I truly believed it was you, Francis."

"I see." Suzuki-kun replied, "So did my dancing really suck?"

"A little bit, yeah." Mugi chuckled. "But I enjoyed every single moment of it."

Just as the two shared a moment of meaningful silence though, we would be interrupted by Azusa running onto the stage.

"Guys… Fraulein is at the auction!" She called out, "Jun-chan and Yui-senpai are holding the line right now, but things aren't looking too good…"

* * *

Led by the sophomore guitarist, Tsumugi, Francis, Mio and Ritsu left their things on stage and ran towards the grand Atrium. Tsumugi, who had been indifferent to their cause just ten minutes ago, was now running at top speed alongside her friends again. Through the rebuilding Light Music Club had played a large gamble by pulling off that performance, they had convinced the keyboardist of their good intentions. More importantly though, they had made amends with one of their friends. This was the sort of miracle that Ritsu's brother Satoshi had ceased to believe in, thought the club president. If only he had been there with them, then she would have been able to prove to him that there still was hope. Once they reached the atrium though, it soon became clear that they would need yet another miracle.

"800,000 kinsu!" Jun cried as she raised her sign up. Sweat was dripping from her brow and she and Yui were starting to look a tad bit anxious. The two of them, like a handful of the other participants, were already standing up from their seats. She saw the rest of her companions running to where she was, but their reinforcement brought her no solace. "We're not going to last long like this. We're down to our last hundred thousand."

A participant then stood up, raised a sign and called for 850,000 kinsu.

"900,000 kinsu!" Francis then, standing behind his sister Jun and raising the sign with her. This was it, thought the siblings. They were already betting our very last coin. Francis clenched his fist, hoping to hear the glorious 'sold!' from the auction master. Sadly, the auction wasn't over yet. The money they had pooled together would'nt be enough.

"1,000,000 kinsu." A second participant called, shocking them again. Then, to add insult to injury, the price went on and rose higher. It was at 1,250,000 on the next bid, then 1,800,000 on the one after that. Their reserve pool was doubled in three offers. This scenario brough the planners to anxiety, most obviously Francis Suzuki. He had come there hoping to blow the competition out of the water, but their bid for Fraulein was shut out almost instantly. Their newest recruit however wasn't so quick to give up. As a matter of fact, she was still eager to fight.

"Jun-chan, Francis…" Tsumugi said, approaching the two, "May I perhaps borrow that sign for a moment?"

Still disheartened, the siblings sloppily handed Tsumugi the sign. When they realized what she was about to do though, Francis was the first to speak out against it.

"Mugi... you don't have to do this for me." He said, lowering his head, "I'll just be burdening you yet again, and..."

"Francis." Tsumugi replied with a determined smile, "Where's that confidence you used to have?"

"What are you talking about?" Francis asked, stumped by the pianist's response

"Hanafuda." Tsumugi explained solemnly, "You told me that Hanafuda is a game where you put honor and glory on the line. If you give up, you forefeit victory!"

"Is that so?" Francis asked, "But are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

"One only declares 'koi-koi' when one wants to continue." Tsumugi answered, "The times I've spent with you are some of the best, and I truly want to continue to be at your side."

She then raised the sign and raised the stakes further.

"3,500,000 kinsu!"

The large jump shocked the other participants, but it didn't stop them from fighting on. One bid called for five million and another called for seven and a half. However, Tsumugi dropped the hammer with her last bid.

"Twelve million, five hundred thousand kinsu. Final offer."

"And... SOLD to the young lady in the corner!"

Francis' jaw dropped as he heard the auction master's declaration and he was utterly speechless. He turned to Tsumugi, not exactly sure what to say... or how to repay her twelve million kinsu. To his surprise, he didn't have to say anything. Tsumugi pulled Francis towards him and gave him a kiss, surprising Jun and the rest of their friends as well as the participants of the auction. Their lips parted and Tsumugi told Francis with a smile.

"I knew I'd win you over someday, Francis. I love you."

"I love you too, Mugi. I always have. I always will... I'll..."

"Just kiss me already." Tsumugi chuckled

The half-Canadian locked lips with the half-Finnish girl again then embraced her and for a moment, they felt as if the rest of the world had disappeared. They then felt as if they were there again on the dance floor of the Place des Arts in Montreal save for the fact that they no longer sported their masks. They no longer hid their feelings - they were no longer afraid to admit the truth. They were in love with each other, and have been in love with each other since the moment they had met.

* * *

The next afternoon at the Music Room of the Light Music Club, Tsumugi was back at her post, waiting for the water in the tea kettle to start boiling. Though Yui had enjoyed serving tea for the club momentarily, she was much happier to have Tsumugi with them again. A minute later, Francis then arrived from Osaka West with both his guitar and his violin and greeted everybody as he entered the room. Rather than head for his seat at the table though, he now chose to sit with Tsumugi before the kettle and wait with her. The two of them still had the buddy-buddy vibes, sharing funny anecdotes as they had always done, but they were much sweeter towards each other now. They would laugh out loud after cracking a few jokes then Tsumugi would rest her head on his shoulder - it was a pleasant sight.

The headline on the latest morning newspaper Ritsu had bought however was far from pleasant. The rumors of Ui's resignation was revived in the news and her debut performance at The Budokan was scheduled uncomfortably close to their exam week. The time they had to convince Ui to carry on was running short and the Light Music Club was still incomplete. The HTT now had its full roster of members again, but Okaeri was still out of commission. If they wanted to push through with their plans, they would need to finally get Satoshi on board. As long as Okaeri remains without a voice, it would remain immobile and Satoshi would remain entrenched against the plan. A certain sophomore guitarist believed she had a solution.

"I can do it." Azusa said to Ritsu before the meeting started, "I can sing for Okaeri."

**To Be Continued**


	27. Second Thoughts of a Rising Star

**Author's Notes:** And I'm back for the time being! That was one crazy exam season (though it's not over yet...), but I will be writing in full force once again. Man, have I missed writing fanfics! So here it is, Chapter 27. Hope you all enjoy it, and it's good to be back!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 27**

It was close to midnight in Tokyo, Japan. The bright lights of the capital city shimmered brightly and partially illuminated an executive room on the top floor of the Kashiwara Records tower. Mr. Kashiwara, the CEO of Kashiwara Records and a member of the Board of Directors of the mighty Platinum Group saw the city light flood into his room and promptly closed the blinds.

With the room darkened once again, he took a seat behind his desk, turned on a desk lamp and drew some documents from the ever rising pending stack. Among these documents were the file of a certain Ui Hirasawa and a reservation of The Budokan stage.

"Just a month left, huh…" He muttered as he went through the document, "It will be different this time."

As he said this, turned off the display of his computer and pulled a flask out of his pocket. He closed his eyes, recalling the rumors of Ui Hirasawa abandoning their contract on the internet then took a swig of brandy. He then repeated his words as if whispering to himself.

"It will be different, this time…"

Just then, the intercom device sounded and the receptionist said that there was someone there to see him.

"Is it from the Board of Directors?" Mr. Kashiwara asked hesitantly, "If so, tell them that I'm not here."

"No, Mr. Kashiwara." The receptionist reassured, "It's your daughter."

Mr. Kashiwara sighed in relief.

"Let her in."

The CEO took another swig from his flask before putting it back behind his coat. Minutes later, the doors to his office creaked open and his daughter Sarina Kashiwara peeked in. Mr. Kashiwara silently acknowledged her presence with a nod. The girl walked into the dimly lit room and was quick to catch on to the smell of brandy.

"Dad, have you been drinking again?"

"That's none of your business." Mr. Kashiwara mumbled, "I can do whatever the hell I want."

"But it is my business." Sarina replied, "I am your daughter after all… even though you say I'm not."

Mr. Kashiwara just turned away and avoided his daughter's gaze.

"So, what business do you have here Sarina?" Mr. Kashiwara asked, "Is it something to do with your ward?"

"You mean Hirasawa-san?" Sarina replied, "Yes, actually."

"Has she already resigned, then?"

"No, no." Sarina denied, "I'm just here with the weekly progress report you requested personally."

"Ah, right - the report." Mr. Kashiwara said, "Please have a seat, Sarina. Brandy?"

"Why not?"

The CEO then opened up a drawer and pulled out a nearly empty bottle of brandy and emptied it into two glasses. Clearly, Mr. Kashiwara had been drinking a lot.

"So how goes our rising star, Sarina?" Mr. Kashiwara asked as he poured his daughter and himself a glass

"She is doing exceptionally well." She said, taking her glass and thanking her father, "Pretty, talented and sincere about her music. I haven't seen someone like her in the Industry for a while."

"Does that mean she will stay with us?" Mr. Kashiwara asked, "We need someone like her under our label – she could probably produce a platinum record or a double."

"As of now, the rumors are all I have to go by." Sarina replied, taking a sip from her glass, "She says she really loves to sing and is happy when she does so… but I do believe the contract she signed caused some problems back at her hometown. A little fallout here and there, I presume."

"It's my fault, isn't it?"

"You were a tad bit brash, that's for sure."

"Brash is kind, my dear. I was an asshole, but for good reason. I was just pressured by the Board then, so I had to sign her up as quickly as possible… and… damn. Why has the Music Industry gone so far downhill?"

The man then gulped down his glass, opened up a new bottle, then poured himself another one.

"With all that crap happening, we have to resort to desperate measures to find marketable talent. Even though Hirasawa-san is a gem… what I did doesn't completely sit well with me."

"You know what… I sort of understand why you did that, dad." Sarina said, "People like Hirasawa-san are hard to find. However, if she chooses to leave, we… no, you will have to respect her decision."

"And face the Music at the Board…"

The man downed his second glass then laid the glass on his desk and Sarina knew that he was already frustrated. Sarina had meant to leave as soon as she had delivered her reports as she had always done, but she felt like she would be staying in her father's office for a little while longer.

For the first time in a very long time, she knew her father needed her. She then downed her own glass as well, laid it down in the same way her father did and poured the both of them another round each.

"Don't worry dad." She then said, taking her glass and offering her father his, "No matter where this predicament goes, I'm with you. I always have been."

* * *

Meanwhile, at a nearby Music Studio, Ui Hirasawa and Shoichi Yagihara sat in a booth along with some of the studio employees. Ui had just finished a run through of her carrier single – the song she would sing on her debut in Budokan. It wasn't her favorite song, but she sang it well nonetheless and everyone who listened fell in love with her voice.

"Did I do alright, Yagihara-san?" Ui asked Sarina's fiancée.

"You did great, Hirasawa-san." Yagihara assured, pointing to the other employees who were still cheering, "Just look at those people, they love you!"

"Thanks, but…" Ui said, "I feel more comfortable singing something I like… you know?"

"It's a bit too pop for you, huh…" Yagihara sighed, "Sadly, that's what people are demanding. Over there in the United States, they're crazy over that Lady Gaga and Kesha stuff… though frankly, I don't understand their appeal."

"Can't I sing _Magic Mirror_ instead, Yagihara-san?" Ui asked, "I'd feel so much better with that song in my repertoire."

"But it's not just your song, Hirasawa-san." Yagihara pointed out, "It's a song made by you and Tainaka-kun."

"Satoshi-kun…" Ui muttered weakly, feeling her heart strain a bit. "I could ask him… but… that wouldn't be fair to Okaeri now, would it?"

Yagihara just nodded, agreeing that that option would be complicated.

"Fine… I'll stick with this song then." Ui said, "I've caused them all enough trouble already."

Yagihara looked as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words to say to her. Instead, he just gave a sympathetic nod. After all, all he, Ui or anyone outside of Osaka knew that Okaeri was dead and that Hokago Tea Time was crippled.

"So I'll take you home to Sarina-chan's then." Yagihara then said, "You're done for the day after all. Your schedule will get more hectic as the debut approaches – you'd best get as much rest as you can."

Ui agreed and the two of them got into Yagihara's car parked outside of the studio.

During her stay in Tokyo, she lived with Sarina Kashiwara in her home in the outskirts of the metropolis. Yagihara has oftentimes described it as 'too fancy for a house' and 'too quaint for a mansion'. Whatever it was, that was her temporary home.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to the Kashiwara Tower to pick Sarina-chan up."

"Do we have to?" Ui asked, not exactly fond of the Kashiwara Tower – the headquarters of the record label she had signed up with. Though she appreciates the opportunity the company had given her, she also sees her contract with the company as the reason for everything that had gone down in Osaka.

"It's along the way." Yagihara said, "Plus, we'll just wait outside."

Ui sighed and just gave Yagihara a nod. Just then, she remembered that that was one of Satoshi's mannerisms. It made her wonder how he was.

Yagihara started the engine then drove off to the Kashiwara Records building. As soon as they got there, Sarina was already waiting for them and waved to them as they approached. Once they got closer though, they saw that the girl looked particularly tired.

"Did you have a fight with uncle?" Yagihara asked

"No, no…" Sarina said tipsily, "We actually had a bit of a good talk for once. Had to drink and keep him company though… for a while, he looked like he was about to cry."

"Mr. Kashiwara is troubled?" Ui asked with a tinge of concern

"Nah, don't worry about it Hirasawa-san." Sarina said, patting Ui's head, "Let's just do our best for the debut, okay?"

Ui nodded, but Sarina's reply was simply a snore. Sarina was sound asleep.

"I guess that's my cue to start the engine and take you girls to your home." Yagihara laughed.

"Yeah…" Ui said, taking out the photograph Satoshi had given her before they parted ways. She looked at the four people smiling in the photograph; herself, her sister Yui, her declared sister Ritsu and her beloved Satoshi. She then placed the photo against her heart and whispered a solitary word. "Home."

* * *

After inching its way through the congested Tokyo streets, Yagihara's car finally arrived at the gates of Sarina's house. A guard promptly walked up to the driver's seat and asked for identification.

"Shoichi Yagihara." He said, showing the guard his license, "And I already know about the thirty-minute rule."

"Very well." The guard said. With the press of a button, the wrought iron gates slowly swung open and Yagihara drove on into the compound.

"Thirty minute rule?" Ui asked

"I'm only allowed to be in Sarina-chan's house for thirty minutes while we're not yet married." Yagihara explained, "After that, the guard has orders to taser me."

"Is that so…" Ui cringed. She remembered that her Satoshi's parents openly welcomed her to their house whenever she went. Yui on the other hand, the de-facto parent of her house welcomed Satoshi. In the advent of recent events though, she believes that that would no longer be the case.

"So, Hirasawa-san." Yagihara said, stepping out of the car, "Would you mind helping me carry my fiancée into her house?"

"I can stand up, you know…" Sarina said, snapping out of her slumber, "I was just… resting my eyes, is all."

Once she got on her feet though, her footing was wobbly and Ui and Yagihara insisted that they help her.

"Sorry, you two." Sarina then apologized, "I don't normally drink that much… but I don't get to talk much to my father either. It was a fair deal."

"It's alright, Sarina-chan." Yagihara reassured as he and Ui supported the CEO's daughter, "Just take it easy now, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." Sarina replied, "So will you be going home now, Shoichi-kun?"

"I have to." Yagihara replied, "I got like ten minutes left and that night guard is looking at me menacingly…"

Yagihara and Sarina bid each other farewell and Yagihara raced out of the compound, much to the disappointment of the night guard.

"Hmm…" Sarina then hummed, "I don't know about you, but a nice warm bath would do me wonders right now."

"That would actually help, Sarina-chan." Ui agreed, "It would be a good way to relax."

"I know, right?" Sarina smiled tiredly, "So what do you say you join me and we can have a little chat. Just us girls."

"Eh?"

"C'mon! It'll be fun! Plus, isn't it natural for me to want to know the person living with me better?"

"Well…" Ui said hesitantly, "I guess it would be alright… and I could use a bath too."

* * *

In the bathroom of the Kashiwara household, there was a bathtub comparable to those in the public baths. Every time she used it, Ui couldn't believe that she would be able to use a tub like this everyday (though she almost always just used one of the simple showers). Sarina told her once that the bathroom was the most luxurious room in the house, probably because of that large tub.

"Tis' a good place to relax after a hard day of work." Sarina said as she sank into the tub opposite to Ui with a glass of water in hand, "The show business can take a lot out of you… and having a father you don't always understand does that too."

"I see…" Ui said, turning away from Sarina and looking at herself through the water.

"Hopefully you get along with your folks better than I do with my dad on regular days," Sarina said, sipping her water and putting it aside, "I only got to talk to him now since he was already drunk."

"My sister and I get along with our parents very well when they're home…" Ui replied, "The thing is, they're not always in Osaka… they're not always in Japan. They travel around the world, you see!"

"A travelling couple, huh." Sarina said intrigued, "What do they do exactly? Don't they have work?"

"They're international venture capitalists." Ui explained, "They invest in companies in the developing countries – particularly South East Asia and Latin America. So actually, to keep our finances afloat, they have to be constantly on the move to do market research and whatnot. They visit us in Osaka twice or thrice a year."

Ui then chuckled.

"They told me once that they were like nomads with a good bank account."

"That sounds like a fun profession. They also seem to trust you and your sister living alone." Sarina noted, "They even agreed to let you work under our label too."

"When it comes to me and onee-chan, my parents have a policy of letting us learn to stand on our own two feet. My sister and I manage our home, our allowances and all since we're going to have to learn to do those things sooner or later."

"Very true, dearie." Sarina said, "I built this house out of my own income and this bathtub was the only luxurious thing I could afford."

"Also," Ui added, "when I called them about the contract, they were quite happy that I was starting to 'find my calling'."

"I believe that they have the right to be happy for you, Hirasawa-san." Sarina agreed, "You are a very talented singer, you know. On top of that, you love what you do. That's one of the most important things to have in the entertainment industry. If you don't love what you do, you'd lose your message – your 'voice'."

"Right…" Ui said, lowering her head and seeing a reflection of herself in the water, "Kashiwara-san?"

"Yeah?"

"You've heard about the rumors, haven't you?"

"I have…" Sarina replied, her voice now bearing a tone of seriousness, "On the day of the debut, you plan to announce that you'll opt out of the contract. Is it true?"

"Would you be angry if I said yes?"

"I wouldn't be angry about that…" Sarina said, scratching her face, "I believe you have your reasons for wanting to return to Osaka."

"I do." Ui said, "There are some problems back home that I have to fix… a lot of problems – problems that I've caused. I don't know how, but maybe if I come back after my debut, I'll be able to work things out."

"You could have refused the contract the first time my father offered it." Sarina then reminded, "Also, you can quit at any time. Why wait for the debut?"

"It's because I don't want to go home empty handed." Ui replied firmly, "The reason I accepted the contract in the first place was because of a dream my sister had – the dream shared by Satoshi-kun and Ritsu-nee."

"The Tainakas?"

"Yes." Ui nodded to confirm, "The three of them had been giving it their all in the past year to reach The Budokan… accepting the offer and performing on The Budokan at least once would be my way of fulfilling that dream for them. I'd come back home saying that I performed on The Budokan for them."

"But do you not want to perform on The Budokan as well?" Sarina asked, "For yourself, I mean? The passion I feel whenever you sing… I can tell you want to perform. I can tell you love to sing."

"I do love to sing… but I sing to bring everyone happiness. How can I keep on singing when instead of happiness, I cause grief to those I love? Allowing me to go to Tokyo already caused them a lot of trouble… especially for onee-chan, Ritsu-nee and Satoshi-kun."

"I see." Sarina sighed, "If that's the case, then let me tell you this. Whatever you decide to do, Hirasawa-san, we will respect your decision. We have no right to keep you away from what you really want and if you want to return home, then so be it."

"Thank you very much Kashiwara-san." Ui said, closing her eyes giving Sarina a slight bow. Sarina however wasn't very much convinced that going home was what Ui truly wanted. Only time will tell, she told herself.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Nakano household in Osaka, the sound of a un-amped guitar can be heard coming from Azusa's room. The sophomore guitarist of the Hokago Tea Time was already in her pajamas but wore her Fender Mustang and was busy learning the chords of 'Oui! Ai Kotoba'. Once she was comfortable, she would then start singing some phrases as she played and eventually full verses. Before long, she mastered the song and moved on to try her hand on the other songs of Okaeri.

"Ui." Azusa said as she watched the moon shine beyond her bedroom window, "Someday, I'll become as good as you."

**To Be Continued**


	28. The New Voice of Okaeri

**Author's Notes: **Song links are in my profile as always, and the old disclaimer applies here!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 28**

It was early in the morning when I woke up to the sound of the pitter patter of rain. As if that mundane noise wasn't already a bad enough thing to wake up to, I then quickly realized that it was also unbearably cold. Temperatures usually rise a little bit when it rains, meaning it'll probably be a lot colder when the clouds clear out. We're halfway through November already, so I guess it can't be helped. Whether it's a good thing or not, the weather forecast for the next few days will be the same – foggy, windy and a 80% chance of showers just a few, few steps away from the zero-degrees Celsius mark. We won't be getting snow anytime soon, then. Well… at least I know my Geography lessons got stuck in my head. Senior year level Geography class has a way of doing that, apparently.

Giving off a loud yawn, I stood up from my bed with my blanket still wrapped around me to seal in whatever warmth I could. Once I reached the place where my uniform was hanging though, there was no choice but to let go of that barrier. It was a dramatic parting, to say the least, and the cold was quick to make its presence known. Braving the cold, I slipped into my uniform and wore a raincoat over it for good measure. I also broke out a pair of boots to bring downstairs – the shoes I wear on better days would just get my feet wet.

I sat down on my bed to put on those boots of mine and took the moment to ponder a little about the days ahead. There was a little less than a month now before Ui's debut at The Budokan as well as the rumored declaration of her backing out from the contract with Kashiwara Records. Also less than a month from now was the pivotal Winter Term exam week – one of the most important academic hurdles we would have to get through for both the sophomores and us seniors. Exactly when exams would be held however would still be something that wasn't set in stone (especially with all talk of this inclement weather escalating going around). Then, there was our upcoming graduation. My, does time fly…

Putting that thought aside for now, I stood up once I got my boots on and walked on out of my room. If I was lucky, I might just be able to win that extra rice today. The loud rain woke me up earlier than my alarm clock did after all so my chances were good. However, as I stepped into the hallway, I noticed the door to my brother's room slightly opened when it was almost always closed shut at this time. Moved by curiosity, I walked on over to the door and peered inside his room.

Lying there on his bed was my brother Satoshi Tainaka, curled up onto a ball. Somehow, he had managed to throw away his blanket when he was asleep and was shivering from the November cold. He looked like he was searching for the warmth of the blanket again, but to no avail. No need to fear, nee-chan is here! I picked up the blanket sprawled out on the floor and laid it over my sleeping brother. Once the warmth was restored, he calmed down, loosened up and fell deeper into his sleep. Despite that, he looked a tad bit troubled. He didn't show it to me when he was awake, but he now looked burdened with worry.

"_I don't know… what to do…_" he would moan, before falling silent once more. The issue with Ui followed him to his dreams, I guess. Looking at the face of my sleeping brother, I whispered my response.

"I don't know either, bud… but we'll figure something out."

I kissed his forehead, making him squirm a little then left the room to go downstairs. As soon as I got down though, our dad was already sitting at the dining table and was busy reading the morning newspaper. The extra rice goes to him again today, huh. Breakfast for the day however hasn't been served yet.

"You're up quite early today, Ritsu." Mom noted from the kitchen, "Did the rain wake you up too?"

"Yeah." I said, now realizing that waking up to the rain wasn't an advantage exclusive to me, "It's not exactly the best thing to wake up too – it's rather gloomy and all."

"That's the way the world works, my dear." Mom then said, frying up something good, "Sometimes it shines, sometimes it pours. It doesn't matter what weather it is, we still have to wake up and face the day."

I guess mom was right. We can't expect it to always be sunny, after all. Anyways, since breakfast wasn't served yet, I walked on over to the living room where my drum set sat. I figured that while I was waiting, I might as well get a head start on my playing. Before I could start playing though, I noticed a pair of drumsticks sitting atop the snare drum –it was Satoshi's. I had been a little worried that Satoshi might have gotten rusty since I don't see him play the drums anymore... I guess he still takes time to sharpen his skills. That's good to know.

Without a doubt, my brother still has some semblance of hope for the future. Maybe seeing the Light Music Club coming back together gave him a little bit of inspiration. Reviving the club after the mass-resignation was nothing short of a miracle after all. All we need to do now is to light that fire within him once more.

* * *

Later that afternoon, at the Sakura-gakou Music Room, I was the first person to arrive. Strangely enough, I wasn't exactly alone in the room. Sitting there against a wall by the room were the guitars and basses of the Light Music Club – Yui's Gibson Les Paul, Francis' Squier Bullet Stratocaster (and his beloved violin Fraulein), Azusa's Fender Mustang, Jun's Yamaha SBV 500 and Mio's left-handed Fender Precision Bass. They had been brought in yesterday in anticipation of the rain. The newspaper I had bought on the way to school had already been read, so I found myself wondering what I should do. Since there was really no one there yet, I just took my seat at the dining table and took a quick nap. The rain from earlier this morning hadn't subsided yet and had been lulling me to sleep since second period. I closed my eyes and waited for the other members to arrive.

Not too long afterwards, I heard the familiar sound of ascending footsteps coming from the staircase. Accompanying it was the bright, happily enamored voice of Mugi who seemed to be talking to someone on the phone – Suzuki-kun perhaps. True enough, she entered the room holding her cellphone to her ear and wearing a pleasant smile.

"Well, I'll talk to you later then, Francis." Mugi said, waving to me as I acknowledged her presence, "Good luck to you and Satoshi-kun with your column… and don't overwork yourselves, okay?"

Mugi then nodded her head as she listened to Francis' response. Then, all of the sudden, she blushed madly. Turning away from me, she puckered up and made a kissing sound. She then touched her cheek in delight and said in a dreamy voice,

"This is the first time I've kissed someone over the phone…! Well, uh, goodbye! I love you!"

While the pianist was still turned away, I promptly drew out my cellphone and rapidly wrote up a text message to the half-Canadian.

"_Suzuki-kun, you sly fox._"

His reply came almost instantly.

"_Oy, oy, Tainaka-san. I need my inspiration too, you know!_"

I couldn't help but chuckle. These two were too cute together. I set aside my cellphone for now then gave the pianist a proper welcome. She then went on to fill the kettle with water.

"Francis won't be with us this week." Mugi said, as the kettle filled to the brim, "He and Satoshi-kun will be busy with their monthly column."

"The whole week? Isn't that a little bit too long a time for a column?"

"They won't publish an edition in December for exam week," Mugi then explained, "so they're making a double digest of sorts."

"Like those American comics?" I asked, "Satoshi said he'd be working on the column, but he didn't tell me that."

No wonder why I saw him the way he was this morning. He must have went straight to bed after dinner – he even forewent locking the door like he usually does.

"Satoshi-kun is working hard." Mugi said with a smile, turning off the tap, "That's what Francis tells me."

"Yeah…" I nodded in agreement, "He sure can work hard in a pinch."

And he still finds a little bit of time to play the drums. He truly is my brother, hah. Leaning back into my chair, I looked up to the ceiling and waited for everyone else. No surprise, Mio was the next one to arrive, reaching the door at about the same time the kettle started to whistle. I was just about to welcome her to the room when Mio spoke first. She wanted to get down to business.

"Manabe-san says that the exam schedules aren't finalized yet." She said in a serious tone as she took her seat at the table, "She did however say that the teachers were looking at either the first or second week of December."

"The second week of December too?" I asked, "That's when…"

"Ui-chan's debut performance is, right?" Mio said, finishing my sentence for me, "There's lots of talk of inclement weather and class cancelation too, so the first week is starting to look unlikely too."

"It's something out of our control then huh…" I sighed, "But we still have to keep our hopes up. We still have more pressing matters than the weather. Like that performance thingy."

"You're talking about the HTT-Okaeri concert at the Live House?" Mio asked. I gave her a nod to confirm. "About that too… the scheduling might be a problem. Everything after this week is already booked. Our only option then would be to settle for a performance this Saturday at the latest."

"Sign us up for Saturday then, Mio." I said, leaning into my chair, "It's the best we can do, right?"

"Ritsu!" Mio gasped, "That's only a few days away! Do you think we'll be able to prepare for that?"

"If we think we can't do it, then we won't be able to." I argued determinedly, "We have to take that chance."

"But what about Azusa?" Mio replied, her tone becoming a little more desperate, "She's been making some progress in learning to play and sing with me and Yui coaching her, but I'm not sure if she can manage a live performance so soon."

Right… if I recall correctly, Mio had been teaching Azusa how to sing and play the guitar since last week. She and Yui, the two vocalists of the HTT, rose to the occasion when Azusa said she wanted to sing for Okaeri. Azusa was already a very capable guitar player but had very little singing experience. Still, she was very passionate about wanting to sing so the vocalist duo couldn't refuse helping her out. Plus, having Azusa become the vocalist of Okaeri was the best option we had coming forward. Not only would it entice Satoshi to come back to the Light Music Club, it would also be a good time to let Azusa go.

Mugi, Mio, Yui and I were graduating next spring, after all. As much as we wanted to, we couldn't bring Azusa with us to university. On top of that, she would be taking care of the Light Music Club for us once we're gone, so coming together as the HTT would be very hard. The HTT would someday have to learn to be a four-man band. These were facts Azusa knew well. I'm a little sad that this was the case, but I understand that something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. Looking at it that way, I'm glad Azusa and the rest of us seniors are taking it well.

"She'll manage." I said solemnly, "I believe that Azusa can do this. She will be the leader of the Light Music Club next year. If we don't believe in her, then we'll never have the strength to leave Sakura-gakou."

"I think Riichan is right." Mugi then said as she served tea for the three of us, "We have to believe in the next batch, Mio-chan; Jun-chan, Azusa, Francis and Satoshi-kun too. Give them a chance, and I'm sure they will make us proud."

"I hope you're right." Mio said, as she looked at her frustrated face reflecting on her tea, "Actually, I just remembered something."

"What is it?" I asked

"At last year's Cultural Festival…" Mio said reminiscently, "Ui-chan had already mastered the guitar of _Fuwa Fuwa Time_ but still couldn't learn the lyrics, let alone play and sing at the same time. She only had a few hours before the performance, but she pushed through."

She then clenched her fist and faced me,

"You're right Ritsu. We can do this."

"That's the spirit Mio." I said, taking a sip of my tea, "That's the spirit."

"By the way, Ritsu." She then said, handing me a sheet of paper, "I've finished it."

* * *

A little while later, Jun then also arrived and was served tea by Mugi. The three of us filled her in on what we had talked about before she arrived.

"This Saturday already, huh?" Jun said with intrigue, "I don't have any objections, and I don't think my bro Francis will have any either."

"Can you and your brother and Azusa get together to practice?" I asked her

"We sure can… but only after 6PM. My brother has access to the keys to the music room there." Jun said, "The Press Club columns are a lot of work, he told me. But… we still won't have a drummer."

"Don't worry about that." I replied with a grin, "While Satoshi is still out of the question, I'll fill in for him. I'm sure you guys wouldn't mind a guest drummer now, would you?"

"Of course not!" Jun said happily, "With our situation now, all we need to worry about is getting Azusa to sync in with Okaeri."

"Very true." I said with a nod, "Speaking of Azusa… where is she and Yui? They're already fifteen minutes late."

"Ah." Jun gasped, remembering something all of the sudden, "The two of them went to Yui-senpai's house to get something. They should be back…"

Jun's response however was interrupted when the door opened. Yui and Azusa then walked in panting with their raincoats dripping with rain.

"Right about now…" Jun sighed

"Sorry we're late!" Yui apologized, giving me a salute, "We just had to get some things from my house."

Turning to Azusa, I saw that she was wearing a guitar case which she promptly placed by the wall where the other guitars were. Wait a second… didn't she already leave Muttan here yesterday?

"I'm lending Azusa Ui's Tele." Yui explained, taking off her coat and hanging it to dry, "Also…"

She then drew out an accordion folder full of papers.

"I borrowed the lyrics and tabs of the Okaeri songs too!"

"I just realized something, you see." Azusa then said to me, "If I'm going to replace Ui as the vocalist of Okaeri, I'm going to have to learn the songs of Okaeri."

That was true. To become the vocalist of a band, one would have to learn their songs… Up till then, she had only been learning HTT songs like _Fuwa Fuwa Time _and _My Love Is a Stapler. _I was going to ask Jun how she and Suzuki-kun would teach Azusa the lyrics, but the sophomore bassist now looked extremely relieved.

"Also." Azusa said, taking out Tele from his bag and wearing him, "I figured that if I want Satoshi-kun to accept me as a vocalist, I'll have to sound like Ui."

"You think so, Azusa?" I said, not too sure if that was really a big factor in Satoshi's decision, "I understand that you'd want to learn the songs of Okaeri, but sounding like Ui too?"

"Yes." Azusa said, "That ought to be the reason why Satoshi-kun won't accept anyone else as the vocalist of Okaeri – it's because Ui's voice is the only voice that can make Okaeri's songs take flight. If I can learn to sound like Ui, then I'd be the perfect replacement!"

Even though she says that, in the few times I've heard Azusa sing, she sounds completely different from Ui. It's not that her singing is terrible or anything – it's just that her voice is huskier and a lot more rigid. Ui's voice, in comparison, is tender and mellow even in songs like _Wing Your Way_. Can she really sound like Ui?

"Azu-nyan's made a lot of progress already." Yui then told me, "I'm teaching her everything I know already, so why don't you listen for a bit?"

Scratching my face, I heeded Yui's request and let Azusa sing and play for us. She plugged the Telecaster to her amp, played around with it for a bit to get the hang of the guitar then started singing _Oui! Ai Kotoba_. To my surprise, Azusa now sounded pretty Ui-like and the sound of the Telecaster more or less helped bring that illusion about. However… it did feel a bit forced, and it wasn't as passionate as I had hoped it would be.

"It's alright…" I said, giving my judgment, "You're definitely starting to sound like Ui but… I just can't help but think this isn't right. You don't sound like you're enjoying the song."

"Well… that's because I'm trying to sound like Ui." Azusa complained, "I'm only doing this to convince Satoshi-kun to join us."

Hearing her argue like that, I couldn't talk back to her. Yui too was fairly confident that having Azusa sound like Ui would be necessary if we wanted to move on with our plan.

"So then, Azusa, tell me something." I said, approving their proposition for now, "When do you plan to ask Satoshi to sign you up?"

"Tomorrow morning." Azusa said, "Jun-chan said that her brother and Satoshi-kun are busy in the afternoons, so talking to him in the morning would be my best bet."

"Actually, Azusa…" Jun then said, "Why don't you tell him tonight? Okaeri will be practicing at the Osaka West Music Room, after all. Ritsu-senpai will be going with us too!"

Hmm, that actually sounded like a good idea. Jun was particularly excited and Mugi looked like she wanted to tag along too. Azusa however, looked a little hesitant now. Was it the abrupt change of schedule, perhaps? Or was it because of my comment… Sensing my concern, Azusa gave me a nod and said that she was willing to go tonight. However, my fears still weren't completely dispelled just yet. We all can only rest easy once we get Satoshi back on board, after all.

* * *

It was half-past six in the evening at the gates of the Osaka West Public School and Jun, Azusa, Mugi and I were headed for the main building. Though the skies were still gray, the rain had finally stopped, so my three companions brought some instruments with them for the practice. Jun brought her SBV-500, Azusa brought the Telecaster and Mugi had Fraulein.

"So, Mugi." I said, turning to the pianist, "Will you be heading home after saying hi to Suzuki-kun?"

"Actually, I was planning to stay and watch your practice." Mugi replied with a smile, "My father was really intrigued by your performance with them during the charity show, so he wants me to observe both bands and see if we can cooperate again some other time."

Is that so? I had a really fun time playing with the Osaka Philharmonic, as did Mio. I wouldn't mind collaborating with the Osaka Philharmonic again in the future.

"Also, I'll be there to root for you guys." Mugi added, "I'm already here, so I might as well make the most out of it, eh?"

Was that a Canadian 'eh' I heard just now? Hmm… Now, if only Suzuki-kun would start speaking Finnish. That'll be fun to watch.

Anyways, as we approached the entrance to the main building, Satoshi's upperclassman, Natsuki Shinohara, was already there waiting for us.

"Welcome to Osaka West, comrades." She said happily as she opened the door for us, "Suzuki-kun already brought Tainaka-kun to the Music Room, so you should expect to see them there."

I thanked her for her help then led my companions to the Music Room, the room we had saved from being sold off roughly a year ago. Sitting there and waiting for us on some monobloc chairs were Satoshi and Suzuki-kun. Suzuki-kun rose up immediately, greeting us before turning his full attention to his girl. Satoshi on the other hand just sat there as the rest of us entered the room.

"I heard you guys were going to have a practice here tonight." Satoshi said with a slight smirk, "I figured it wouldn't hurt to listen in for a while. The HTT has an upcoming gig this Saturday, right sis?"

"We do." I replied smiling back at him, "But so does Okaeri. We'll be performing together again this Saturday."

My words then took my little brother by surprise.

"You've got to be kidding me." Satoshi complained, not sure what I was talking about, "I didn't agree to be the drummer of Okaeri this time around. The band won't be able to play without drums."

"I'll be covering that role for the night if you don't join." I said, showing him my drum sticks, "We don't have a lot of time left, I know, but we'll get it through practice."

Satoshi then started fidgeting around. Surely, Okaeri not having a drummer wasn't his real concern. He would have been willing to be the drummer anyways, after all. His real concern was…

"The vocalist…" He said with a tone of seriousness, "Who's going to be the vocalist? I sure hope you didn't just post ads everywhere looking for one… you know I can't just accept anyone…"

"I will be the vocalist." Azusa then intervened, stepping forward towards Satoshi and making him jolt up from his seat, "Satoshi-kun, please let me sing for Okaeri."

"Azusa…" Satoshi said, his entrenched position slowly crumbling. He must have expected me to bring in some total stranger, but I anticipated this and he was now at a loss. Though he had tried to hide it, I could tell he was fascinated by the turn of events. Closing his eyes, my brother steeled his resolve then turned to Azusa with a serious look. "Why should you be the new voice of Okaeri?"

"I've learned to sing like Ui." Azusa then said proudly, "Yui-senpai has been teaching me, you see. I can sing for you now if you want."

"Sing… like Ui?" Satoshi asked, repeating Azusa's response, "What do you mean by that."

"Her style, her tone… everything!" Azusa continued, "Give me a little more time, and you probably won't know the difference!"

This time, Satoshi didn't respond, prodding Azusa to continue selling her resume. Unbeknownst to the sophomore guitarist though, the fascination that I had seen in Satoshi earlier had already faded and was giving way to sad suspicion. Lowering his eyes, he looked like he wasn't going to buy it.

"Look, look." Azusa then added, unzipping the guitar case she had brought with her, "Yui-senpai even lent me Ui's Telecaster."

"So you're just imitating Ui then, huh Azusa?" Satoshi said still looking at the ground, stopping Azusa in her tracks. Try as she might, Azusa couldn't say a word in her defense. Satoshi's assumption was spot on. My brother then covered his face in his hands and let out a deep sigh.

"Satoshi-kun…" Azusa pleaded, realizing the fineness of the line she was treading, "I just…"

"Sis, Francis, Jun, Azusa…" He then said shaking his head, "If you're planning to push through with this setup, then please back out of it. I don't want to see you guys humiliate yourselves like this."

Without another word, he stood up from his seat and started walking out of the room dejectedly. Azusa wanted to stop him, but she couldn't do anything but watch him leave the Music Room. It was only when he was gone that she croaked something out.

"I want… to be as good as Ui."

She then fell to her knees and started to sob.

"I want… to reach out as far… as she has…"

"I'm sure you can do that too, Azusa." I then said, kneeling beside her and comforting her, "But not like this."

Wiping a tear, Azusa then looked at me, wondering what I meant. My brother oftentimes had a hard time saying how he truly felt. Whenever he feels cooped up by stress and whatnot, he can be unintentionally harsh… like me. I held back on my comments on Azusa's performance a while ago too, now that I look at it. I should have been more truthful.

"Azusa, I can say for certain that my brother didn't mean everything he said." I then explained, "There was some truth in his words, however. That, I'll agree with. Imitating Ui won't get us anywhere – it won't get you anywhere either."

Azusa's sobbing then ceased as she started to grasp the message my brother and I were trying to convey.

"Satoshi-kun is a really stubborn boy, Azusa." I continued, "So, we have to be more stubborn than him. We'll still go forth with the gig this Saturday."

"Ritsu-senpai…" Azusa said, her eyes still somewhat teary

"But, on Saturday, you have to perform as yourself." I said, giving the sophomore a reassuring shake, "You should be there as Azusa Nakano."

Azusa's eyes then bulged in realization, as if she had remembered something. She would then tell me that that was what Satoshi and Ui did when Mio found them out at last year's Cultural Festival – the day Yui and I were too ill to perform. Satoshi pulled off the wig and Ui tied her hair back into her usual ponytail. As Satoshi Tainaka and Ui Hirasawa, they raised the roof.

"I've always wondered how they did it – how the two of them, with barely any formal practice, were able to move the hearts of everyone in the auditorium that day." Azusa then said, getting back on her feet, "Now, I understand. If I want to be as good as Ui, I have to be myself."

"That's right." I said, patting her head, "Are you alright now, Azusa?"

"I am now, thanks." Azusa said, wiping the rest of her tears, "I'm ready for anything now."

"Okay then." I said with a smile, taking out the sheet Mio gave me "How about we learn a new song for Saturday then?"

Nodding, Azusa nodded eagerly then joined us for the practice. We would practice late into the night, with Mugi staying to watch and cheer.

Later that night on the evening news, I would then learn that the cold front of the Siberian winds blew over the Pacific, cooling the ocean waters and diffusing the tropical storm. It was still headed for Japan, of course, but it had become many times milder than had been anticipated. Not too long afterwards, the TV announcement was then followed by a text message from Nodoka Manabe to me saying that since the storm was no longer a threat; the exams would be held on the first week of December.

Seems the cold weather has its purposes too.

* * *

That Saturday, on the day of the revival concert of the HTT and Okaeri, Satoshi Tainaka lay awake on his bed. For the first time since the 'storm' formed in the Pacific Ocean, sunlight was pouring freely into his room through the window. He had been compelled to close the curtains to bask in the darkness for a little while longer, but he just stayed lying there. Whether it was because he was too lazy to stand up and block out the sunlight or whether it was because he was actually welcoming the sunlight after missing it for a good few days, he couldn't discern.

He had been lying there for hours now, he told himself, essentially skipping breakfast to do nothing. If it were up to him, he wanted to do nothing all day long. With the completion of the double-digest column at the Osaka West Press Club just yesterday night, he felt too tired to do anything whatsoever. However, it was already way past lunch time and his stomach was already mad at him for missing breakfast.

Groaning, he closed his eyes for a moment then got up from his bed for the first time that day. Walking unevenly, he stepped out of his room then headed downstairs where a small radio set was tuned to the local news. The weather was up when he got there, and it looked like it was going to be sunny until late in the afternoon with chances of showers in the evening. Satoshi then just yawned. The weather didn't matter to him that day, he thought, since he believed he wasn't going to be going out of the house.

Satoshi's parents and his older sister Ritsu were nowhere to be found that afternoon. His folks had work from Tuesdays to Saturdays, after all, so Satoshi was used to not seeing them in the house after breakfast. His sister Ritsu too oftentimes went out with her friends on Saturdays, but he knew all too well that this wasn't the case. Just as this thought passed through his head, the news station then mentioned the concert of the HTT and Okaeri happening later that night, confirming his presumptions. They must be practicing for that night then, the drummer thought. He then quickly tried not to think about that. The words he had told Azusa earlier that week were only starting to burden him now, so he didn't want to think about the concert – or what bad he presumes will come of the concert.

Taking a deep breath, he went on over to the kitchen and went straight for the fridge where the meal his mom had prepared for him was sitting. He took it out of the fridge and put it into the microwave to reheat it. As he waited for the reheating to finish, the news anchors on the radio show, to his surprise, started talking about him. They were wondering if he, Satoshi Tainaka, would be performing for Okaeri. Pondering on that for a moment, Okaeri and the HTT were hometown favorite bands, so he felt like he probably shouldn't have been so surprised to be mentioned on the local news radio station. The reheating finished and Satoshi worded out his response to the news anchors' question – nope.

'Why would I even consider going there?', thought the boy as he chowed down hungrily on the home-made udon noodles. He didn't want to see some imitation act of Ui on stage. For the past few days, Satoshi had tried hard to convince his sister to give up the concert, but it seems she didn't listen to him at all. Then, there those words he loosed on Azusa a few days back. He felt like he wouldn't be able to face her after saying something like that. He didn't mean to be as cold as he was, but he couldn't take back those words now even if he wanted to. Sighing, he just went on to finish the noodles before lazing off around the house.

Hours passed, and the boy who was intent on doing nothing for the whole day was starting to get stir crazy. He would constantly check his watch, wondering why the day was taking so long. The sun was already setting, but it was only just 5:30PM. Watching TV, sleeping and eating snacks had already become boring for him after a while and he was already looking for something else to do. He figured he wouldn't last long as a hikikomori*, especially if he didn't have a Misaki Nakahara* to save him from himself.

Thinking about that anime* he was just starting to follow then reminded him of Ui Hirasawa, his girlfriend who was now far away in Tokyo and preparing for a solo artist debut where she planned to call it quits. In many ways, she had changed Satoshi's life and had, in a sense, saved him from himself. Now that he was far away from her, he was starting to feel lost. The ironic thing was, he didn't want her to call it quits in Tokyo and wanted her to carry on. Becoming an artist was Ui's dream, he reminded himself, a dream that he had promised to help her fulfill.

He reminisced about the times he had spent with her, the times when she had told him about her dreams and the many performances two of them, along with Jun and Francis Suzuki had as the band Okaeri. He then suddenly understood what he wanted to do – to break the 'eat-sleep-watch TV' pattern that he noticed he was starting to follow. He wanted to play the drums. When all was said and done, playing the drums was one of his favorite pastimes – a pastime he had been trying to avoid after the disbanding of Okaeri.

'Ritsu isn't here.' He told himself, going up to his room to retrieve his drumsticks. He wouldn't have to be nagged into joining the Light Music Club that day since she wasn't there. The drum set was also a good instrument to let loose one's stress, he said to himself, and he felt like he had a lot of stress to let loose. He got his drumsticks, headed down to the living room then sat behind the drum set there. It was at that time that time that he noticed a piece of paper lying atop the snare drum – the place where he left his drumsticks on the weekdays.

It was a ticket to that night's Live House, featuring the legendary Western Osaka District duo – Hokago Tea Time and Okaeri. Written at the back of the ticket was a small note in familiarly illegible writing – namely Ritsu's.

"_Thirty seconds left on the clock and the ball is in your hands. We're down five, but the game isn't over yet. It's up to you now Satoshi-kun. What are you going to do?_"

A Full Court Press, he whispered to himself, remembering finding himself in a similar situation during the Natsufest Training Camp in the Kotobuki family's Kyoto villa. Reading the message again, Satoshi couldn't help but chuckle.

"It was four points down, you dummy." He said to the note on the paper, "In that game, only Ui and Azusa… could shoot threes."

A smile then broke out on his face as he found out the note's second message.

"Good call, nee-chan."

Putting the paper in his pocket, Satoshi then went on upstairs to take a bath and change. He had intended to do nothing all day, but he just had a change of plan. He was going to the Live House that night.

* * *

The all too familiar sound of _Utauyo! Miracle_ was emanating from the Live House as Satoshi reached the concert venue. A pair of bouncers however stood watch at the entrance, keeping him away from the door.

"Sorry, kid." One of the bouncers said with his arms folded authoritatively, "The place is over-capacity already and tickets are sold out. We can't take any more audience members."

"But kind sir, I already have a ticket." Satoshi then grinned smugly, showing the bouncer his ticket "Plus, I'm watching my own band perform tonight – I'm not some mere audience member."

The bouncer took a look at the ticket to verify it then had a good look at Satoshi's face.

"Y… you're Tainaka-san from Okaeri!" He said, "Why aren't you on stage?"

"I'm just here to watch." Satoshi said, feeling the drumsticks he kept in his pockets, "At least, I think that's all I'll be doing."

Without another word, the bouncer let Satoshi through then opened the door for him, letting him hear the enthusiastic cheering of the crowd – a sound he felt like he had almost forgotten. He made his way through the lobby then into the concert hall then saw Okaeri setting up for its segment. They were using the same arrangement he had seen the day he asked that they pull back – his sister Ritsu on the drums, Francis on the violin, Jun on the bass and Azusa on the guitar and vocals.

Just as Satoshi had thought, there was now a lot of chatter amongst the crowd gathered there. Many of them were asking why Ui wasn't there, why Azusa was there in her stead and why Ritsu was the drummer instead of Satoshi. It seems Okaeri's old fans were a little taken aback by these changes. Hearing them applause as soon as Okaeri set up though told Satoshi that they were still willing to listen to them.

"Don't screw up… please." Satoshi whispered to himself as he held his breath, waiting for them to start. The stage lights in the concert hall turned on and Azusa then started to open their show with the MC.

Much to Satoshi's relief, Azusa wasn't trying to sound like Ui during the MC. Also, instead of Ui's Telecaster, she was using her own Fender Mustang. Whether or not she would still mimic Ui in the songs however was still up in the air. Towards the end of the MC, Azusa spotted Satoshi standing at the far end of the concert hall then greeted him with a smile – something that took Satoshi by surprise.

"Starting us off tonight, Okaeri has a new song for you!" Azusa said confidently, "_Natural Born Challengers_!"

Without further ado, Azusa started playing her guitar. The sound of her guitar quickly filled the room and caught the attention of the previously doubtful crowd. Satoshi too was quite pleasantly surprised. After a short solo phrase, the rest of the band soon followed and the song started.

* * *

**Natural Born Challengers**

**Musicians: Azusa Nakano (Gt, Vo), Jun Suzuki (Ba), Ritsu Tainaka (Dr), Francis Suzuki (Vi)**

* * *

_Standing by the road, watching as the sun starts to set – the dream that we can never seem to reach_

_Still far away, maybe I've started to lose faith? We've tried so hard but haven't come halfway._

_..._

_Hey, answer me. Can we still make it…?_

_Down, the endless road, and still, keep our hearts whole?_

_..._

_Let's march on, ever forward, each and every day._

_Don't look back, it's a challenge that we all will have to face!_

_Whether or not there's a future for us, we'll just have to see_

_What's waiting for us down the road…_

_..._

_Sing to the grey sky, as loud as you can!_

_Take this one shot at life, unafraid till the end!_

_Bring on the struggles, the great hardships, the rain!_

_Cause together, we can make it to that, sunrise._

…

_Broke down by the road, struggling to start all over again – it's so easy just to give up and walk away._

_With no end in sight, this road may lead to demise! This pointless journey must come to an end._

_..._

_Hey, tell me now. Can, we still turn back?_

_Admit, our defeat, and still, have peace in our minds?_

_..._

_Just march on, don't be troubled by the past, the yesterday_

_Drop the burdens to the ground, the now is all we have!_

_Whether or not there is a future for us, I want you to know_

_We never truly lost, and we never truly will._

…

_Somehow, someday, these dreams, will take flight!_

_Have faith in us. Smile off the pain. No matter what awaits us, in the end…_

_It's worth it, ain't it?_

…

_Let's march on, ever forward, each and every day._

_Don't look back, it's a challenge that we all will have to face!_

_Whether or not there's a future for us, we'll just have to see_

_What's waiting for us down the road, that we have chosen to take…_

_..._

_Sing to the grey sky, as loud as you can!_

_Take this one shot at life, unafraid till the end!_

_Bring on the struggles, the great hardships, the rain!_

_Cause together, we can make it to that, sunrise._

_We will make it._

_..._

* * *

Satoshi stood in awe as did the rest of the audience in the Live House that night. They had all been expecting a good performance, but they had just seen something great. Contrary to what Satoshi had thought would happen, Azusa performed that night as herself and was able to move him – almost the same way Ui did when he first heard her sing. As he was thinking about this, a spotlight came upon him and everyone's attention was now on him.

"So Satoshi-kun." Azusa then said to him on the microphone, "Will you let me be the new voice of Okaeri?"

The boy then cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted his reply.

"Definitely!"

"Okay then." Azusa said, utterly relieved and happy, "We'll be doing the old songs now, Satoshi-kun. Would you mind joining us?"

"Yeah…" Ritsu then added with a groan, "I've been playing drums all day…"

Satoshi nodded then ran up to the stage, all the while being prodded onwards by the cheering crowds. He felt his heart race with excitement – a sensation he hadn't felt for a while now. He then reached the drum set on stage where his sister was. She stood up then offered the seat to Satoshi.

"It's all yours little bro." Ritsu said with a smile, "This is your band after all."

Before Satoshi could say anything though, Ritsu threw herself at Satoshi and gave him a tight embrace.

"And, thank you for coming, Satoshi." She whispered, "I'm really happy."

"I should be the one thanking you, nee-chan." Satoshi replied, hugging his sister as well, "You helped me see something I should have seen sooner. Let me back into the Light Music Club – we should face Ui together."

"You've always been part of the Light Music Club, dear brother." Ritsu said, ruffling her brother's hair, "Now go on. Give these folks a show to remember."

"Will do."

Satoshi took a seat behind the drum set, drew out his drum sticks then asked what songs they were doing.

"We're doing _Wing Your Way_ then _Magic Mirror_ to end the show." Francis said to the drummer, "Are you ready, Satoshi?"

"Yeah." Satoshi said, holding his drumsticks tightly, "Let's go."

* * *

The night went on and the newly revived Okaeri wowed the audience in every song they performed. The joint concert turned out to be a stellar success for both bands and their confidence had now been restored. The time they had left to go to The Budokan was running short, but both Ritsu and Satoshi Tainaka were confident they would get there. They didn't know how, but they'd find a way.

**To Be Continued**

* * *

hikikomori - a sort of recluse

Misaki Nakahara - heroine of Welcome to the N.H.K. She is the protagonist's 'angel' who wants to save him from his hikikomori-ness

anime - I'm referring to Welcome to the N.H.K.


	29. Breaking The Perfect Zone Defense

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 29**

Beads of sweat rolled down Satoshi's face as he panted in his seat behind the drums at the Live House stage. Their last song for the night had just ended, so Satoshi took a moment to take in what had just happened. He lowered his head, closed his eyes then savored the incomparable sensation of a live performance.

Satoshi felt the heat of the stage lights on his skin, the echoing cheers of the crowd and the beating of his tired, happy heart. Indeed, he missed this entire experience - the experience of performing together in a band. He opened his eyes and saw his friends, Francis and Jun, and their new recruit Azusa waving to the crowd that was chanting the band name excitedly. The crowd must have been moved, Satoshi thought. They must have been moved in the same way that gave him the courage to go out on stage. He was tired as hell and barely had any practice, but he had made it through the show. It was all that mattered to him then.

Azusa then turned around then went before Satoshi with a smile. She offered him her hand and asked him to come up on stage.

"Okaeri always ends its performances by bowing together, right?"

Satoshi smiled back then took Azusa's hand. He the went with her to where Francis and Jun were joined hands with them, then bowed together. With a satisfied feeling in their hearts, the newly revived Okaeri walked off to the backstage where the seniors of the Light Music Club were waiting for them.

For Satoshi, it felt a bit awkward at first to see these people again after the things that had taken place nearly a month ago. The drummer had been close to the epicenter the dramatic collapse of the Light Music Club, so he was surprised to see the whole club minus Ui together that night. Seeing them root for Okaeri devotedly more or less made him feel welcome again.

There was one person, however, that Satoshi, simply couldn't look in the eye - Yui Hirasawa. He had already thanked everyone for being there that night except for her, so the guitarist quickly noticed his hesitation. The air between them had been heavy for the longest time and she knew all too well why that was so. Clenching her fist with determination, she started to make amends.

"Satoshi-kun. I'm not angry at you." Yui assured, "Truth be told, I'm sorry I snapped out at you the way I did last month…"

"Well, Yui-nee… I was also at fault then." Satoshi countered, loosening up a little bit "I should have informed you sooner… no, I probably should have told Ui to consult with you first."

"It wouldn't have mattered, Satoshi-kun. I know my sister well." Yui said, a smile breaking out on her face, "Her answer then would have been the same. She's chasing a dream after all – I'm guessing she planned to chase it for us."

Drawing from what he already knew about Ui, Satoshi too felt like that may have been the case. Ever since the day he first met her, he knew that Ui was a dreamer but that she also cared about those she loved. Ui must have seen that time when Yui was sick as a chance to give performing in a band a shot, but also saw it as a way to keep her sister's goal of making it big with the HTT on track. Looking at it from Yui's perspective, Ui's decision on that fateful day in Nagoya started to make sense to him.

"You're right, Yui-nee." Satoshi said back, now much more cheerful "And right now, we have to support her more than ever. And… Yui-nee?"

While he was talking, he was interrupted by a delicate sniffle. Stopped in his tracks, Satoshi saw that tears were forming in Yui's eyes. Despite that, she seemed immensely happy.

"I'm glad Ui found a guy like you." Yui then said, "I truly, truly am."

"And I'm sure Ui is really happy to have a sister who always cares for her like you have." Satoshi replied, lending Yui his handkerchief. Yui graciously accepted his offer and started wiping her tears.

All the while, Ritsu watched her brother and Yui reconcile and felt absolutely relieved. She had feared that their strong, dedicated love for Ui might have perpetuated conflict between the two of them. Watching them open up to each other again dissolved that fear.

"Oy, oy. Satoshi, Yui." Ritsu then interrupted cheerfully, calling everyone together in a huddle "Don't forget that the Light Music Club will always be looking out for Ui as well. We're not going to let her give up her dreams like this!"

"Of course not!" Satoshi and Yui said vigorously

"All we need now is a plan." Satoshi said, "To start things off…"

Then, all of the sudden, Yui's stomach started to grumble audibly and she laughed with embarrassment.

"Maybe we should all get something to eat first." Satoshi continued, patting Yui's shoulder reassuringly, "We can't move forward on an empty stomach. Ramen, anyone?"

Everyone agreed and the eight-member Light Music Club marched out of the Live House to a nearby ramen stall. Like everyone else, Satoshi was excited to have a nice bowl of ramen on a cold early winter night. However, he also was happy for another reason entirely. This would be the first time after a long time that they would spend time together. He wanted to savor moments like these while he still had them – while the seniors were still within arms' reach.

* * *

"Seconds, please!" Yui and Ritsu said happily, raising their bowls to the ramen chef behind the counter. Meanwhile, a shocked Mio couldn't believe that Yui and Ritsu had already finished their first bowl and was trying to remind the two about table manners. On the other hand Mugi passionately described what Francis could expect to see in Helsinki over a bowl of ramen (which they shared) while Jun was experiencing the consequences of emptying the chili shaker into her broth and scrambled for a glass of water.

Thirty minutes after coming together to eat, Satoshi and Azusa found it hard to believe that the Light Music Club had only come together that night. It felt as if the Light Music Club had never been shattered at all. The two watched the scene unfold fondly but the happy sights was also a reminder of what would inevitably come in the future.

"It'll be a lot quieter when the seniors graduate, no?" Azusa asked the drummer in a pondering tone, "Won't you miss Ritsu-senpai when she goes to university?"

"I'd be lying if I said no." Satoshi replied, setting aside his chopsticks, "I've gotten used to knowing that she'd be just in the room across mine at our house, having her sneak into my room to tickle me out of my sleep and competing with her for the extra cup of rice we have in the morning… Parting ways with my sister will be hard."

"I see." Azusa said, more or less expecting that reaction from Satoshi. "It's can't be helped, after all."

"But I won't be sad." Satoshi assured, "Even though Ritsu onee-chan goes to university, it's not like I won't ever see her or hear from her again. We can talk on the phone, chat on the internet or even send letters if we had to. I'm also sure she'd want to visit home every so often. Heck, my parents and I might visit her first."

Satoshi then took a second look at the senior club members seated there at the ramen stall and smiled.

"My sister'll be with me wherever I go… and I'll be with her wherever she goes. That's what Ritsu helped me realize earlier today, stubborn as I was." Satoshi said appreciatively, "The same goes for Yui-nee, Mio-senpai and Mugi-senpai; Natsuki-senpai from my school and Manabe-senpai from Sakura-gakou too. We just have to believe in them and to trust in the bonds we have with them. If I think of it that way, we'll never truly be apart, no?"

"That's a good way to look at it." Azusa said with a nod of consideration.

"And that's what we're going to have to tell Ui. She doesn't have to worry about moving forward to chase her dreams" Satoshi continued, patting his chest, "After all, she'll always be with us here."

Inspired by Satoshi's words, Azusa's resolve strengthened. She then brushed her doubts aside then joined the scene she had been watching for a while now – starting with asking the ramen chef for a glass of milk for the Capsaicin-beleaguered Jun.

Meanwhile, Satoshi talked with Ritsu about what had happened while he was gone and the two of them started cooking up a scheme. As everyone finished with their meals, they gradually joined in on the talks and their gathering slowly became an impromptu meeting.

"There was one thing that Mr. Kashiwara said that, I think, really pushed Ui to sign the contract." Satoshi said, rubbing his chin as he looked back to the shocking scene in Nagoya, "He said that without the backing of Kashiwara Records, the chances of ever performing on the Budokan would be slim."

"That's true…" Mio added, "Sawako-sensei told me stories during the time of Death Devil. They had performed alongside a talented and influential 80's speed metal band that was hailed throughout the rock scene, but they never even made it close to Budokan. If you're talking on the national level, it's the pop artists, most likely signed with Kashiwara Records, who often get first dibs."

"Exactly. He made Ui think that that signing with them would be the only way to perform on the Budokan stage." Satoshi nodded, "The best way to convince Ui to keep walking down the path she had chosen would be to perform on the Budokan ourselves."

"Wait, wait…" Francis halted, not sure where Satoshi's ideas were headed, "If the gigantic Kashiwara Records is standing in our way, how do you expect to get a permit for a stage performance?"

"On top of that," Mugi added, "The Budokan must be booked. The Winter season is a popular time for performances, after all. That's why Ui-chan's debut is scheduled in December."

"Did I say we were going to ask for a permit?" Satoshi replied with a grin

"You're not going to ask for a permit?" Jun asked, "That's crazy! Are you planning to do a guerrilla live or something?"

Satoshi's smile didn't waver. He really was considering doing a guerrilla live

"A daring proposal. What else could I expect from a brother of mine?" Ritsu then said, ruffling her brother's hair with approval, "So, everyone. What do you say to invading Budokan?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Let's do it!" Yui said excitedly, already pumped up by the idea, "We're going to wow the crowd and it'll be epic!"

Aside from Yui and the Tainakas though, nobody was quick to give their support. As a matter of fact, they were still dazed by the radical plan Ritsu and Satoshi had conjured up. Being the de facto voice of reason, the rest of the club turned to Mio to see how she would argue against the idea. To Satoshi and Ritsu's relief though, she didn't denounce their plan.

"Let's do this." Mio said with unusual confidence, "This is a chance for us to make things clear between Ui and us once and for all. We ought to take it."

Mio's confidence amused Ritsu somewhat. Ever since Mio finally let everyone know that she was a lesbian, she grew more and more self confident. Though she couldn't say for sure, Ritsu felt like another reason why Mio was more eager nowadays was because she was meeting with a certain Megumi Sokabe every so often. Whether it was because their former upperclassman was convincing Mio to go to the university she was going to or for something more than that, Ritsu would rather not think about it.

In any case, Mio's valiant support made everyone else willing to give the plan a shot.

"Manabe-senpai, Sawa-chan and the headmistress should be on our side on this one." Azusa pointed out, "Actually, our whole school would support us if we asked them to."

"The same would be true with Natsuki-senpai and Osaka West." Francis added, "That goes without saying that we'll be able to pull some strings in the Western Osaka district news network. Senpai knows a lot of people, apparently."

"Kotobuki Corp doesn't have a lot to spare at the moment…" Mugi continued, "But we'll provide whatever assistance we can to our cause. Prices for the shares of the Budokan have fallen sharply in the past year."

She then inched closer to us and whispered.

"We're considering buying 1% of the shares. That'll be a good enough leverage to get us through, I believe."

"Perfect!" Satoshi cried happily, "Everything's falling into place. Mugi-senpai, when will Kotobuki Corp buy the shares?"

"I can't really tell specific details, Satoshi-kun." Mugi said with a wink, "That's a high-priority company agenda after all."

"Of course, of course." Satoshi laughed. A wise man or woman would never give specific details about his investment portfolio in public after all. "If Kotobuki Corp buys those shares, our performance might even be a legitimate one! So in any case, that means we're good for now."

"Exams will be starting this Wednesday, though." Yui interrupted

"Don't remind me." Satoshi and Ritsu groaned at the same time.

"Immediately afterwards, we'll be headed off to Tokyo." Yui continued, "Let's all work hard, alright? Ui's debut is important, but we shouldn't neglect our own trials. That's what started all of this in the first place."

The Tainaka siblings squinted and rubbed their eyes as Yui said that with a smile. Yui truly was more perceptive than they had initially thought.

"Okay then." Ritsu said, shaking her surprise away for now, "Let's get this plan in motion!"

The eight of them then huddled together and went over each one's duties for the weekend. They were going to mobilize every single resource they had at their disposal to reach the Budokan. With the support of Kotobuki Corp, their previously impossible (not to mention, borderline illegal) plan may just have a chance of working out. The road to Budokan, however, would be much better defended than they had first believed.

* * *

Half past ten in the executive office of Kashiwara Records. Mr. Kashiwara had just finished meeting with his daughter again for the report on Ui and for the finalization of her marriage documents. The reports turned out to be rather favorable and Mr. Kashiwara slowly opened up the idea to giving his daughter's hand in marriage to Yagihara. Thus, his mood at the time was exceptionally light and cheerful.

Sighing, he put away the liquor he and his daughter had consumed and sank into his seat, looking forward to the future. It was at that time that he received a phone call. He picked it up, thinking it was his daughter again.

"Hello, Sarina?"

"This isn't Sarina." A masculine voice replied, shocking the CEO, "This is Ran from the Board of Directors."

"M… Mr. Ran." Kashiwara gasped, struggling to find the right words to say, "Good evening."

"Get your act together, Kashiwara. I don't have time to waste." Ran countered coldly, frightening Kashiwara further, "I came here to talk about your prospect."

"You mean Ms. Hirasawa?"

"Yes…" Ran confirmed, "the girl you promised would produce Kashiwara Records a platinum or two."

"What about her?"

"You, of all people, must know about the rumors flying around about Ms. Hirasawa's intention to back out of the contract after her debut." Ran said, "Well, we have deduced that her friends… the members of the bands Hokago Tea Time and Okaeri, have a big role in her decision."

"Those two bands…" Mr. Kashiwara said, "Didn't those two bands disband last month?"

"Apparently so," Ran sighed, "But they're back together now and their reunion is all over the internet. We have reason to believe that they may be trying to convince her to come back to Osaka. One of our agents heard their leader talk about reaching the Budokan"

"Reach the Budokan?" Mr. Kashiwara laughed, "That's impossible. Platinum Group holds 30% of the shares of the Budokan – we have the majority."

"You fool!" Ran shouted, "Don't you know how the shareholder's program works? Someone with 50,000 shares is treated in the same way as someone who has at least one share! On the negotiating table, those kids will be on equal footing with the entire Platinum Group for crying out loud! If that happens, you can bet your ass that those platinum records you promised won't ever be made."

"Then we should just have the Budokan reduce the shares they have on the market to raise the praces." Mr. Kashiwara said, trying his best to keep his cool, "I doubt a bunch of kids would be able to raise more than a million kinsu, let alone two. Take out enough to raise the price to three million and they will never be able to reach the Budokan."

"We've already done that, but keeping those kids out will take more than that." Ran sighed, "Have you ever heard of Kotobuki Corp?"

"The 57th largest company in Japan?" Kashiwara asked

"49th this week." Ran corrected, "And they're the fastest growing company on the country too… but that's not what I'm here to talk about their statistics. They're backing the kids."

"Kotobuki Corp is on their side?" Mr. Kashiwara shouted in shock, "How can you be sure about that?"

"The videos they presented to compete on the Natsufest contest were produced in a studio owned by Kotobuki Corp." Ran growled, laying out his evidence impatiently, "Then, we have evidence of the two bands staying at the Kotobuki villa in Kyoto in preparation for Natsufest. If those kids are planning to force a performance on the Budokan stage, Kotobuki Corp will definitely be involved… and it'll take more than 3 million kinsu to keep them from buying a share."

Mr. Kashiwara's face paled as he realized the odds stacking against him.

"How do you propose to address this then, Mr. Ran?"

"Platinum Group is in the process of buying up the rest of the Budokan. By tomorrow morning, we'll publish a report that we have 100% of the Budokan shares."

"100% of the shares…" Mr. Kashiwara repeated, amazed by the thought of the takeover

"Since we have total control over the Budokan shares, we will not sell to any affiliate of Kotobuki Corp. As much money as they might have, they won't get their hands on a single share." Mr. Ran said maniacally, revealing his grand plan to Mr. Kashiwara, "On top of that, we won't let those two bands anywhere near the Budokan on the day of Ms. Hirasawa's debut. A restraining order should work. That should make things flow smoothly, no?"

"Isn't that a little bit too much?" Mr. Kashiwara asked, "Platinum Group's profit isn't as big as it was, Ran. Do we really have enough money to buy out the other 70%?"

"It's a costly venture, but it will pay out. You did promise us a platinum record, right? How about a double… or a triple!" Ran snickered, "We can return the shares to normal volume and sell them after the debut. By then, it would be too late for those kids to do anything."

"Mr. Ran…" Mr. Kashiwara said, still very much opposed to the plan. While the director spoke proudly, the CEO remembered the pained looks of Ui's companions in the restaurant when he offered Ui the deal. He felt as if he had already caused Ui's friends enough trouble.

"Plus, if the girl flops, like all the other so-called artists before her, then we wouldn't have lost anything significant." Mr. Ran continued, "The music industry is a business after all, and these artists are just a means to an end. They are nothing special."

Mr. Kashiwara was compelled to argue, but Mr. Ran had already bid him farewell, reminding him to keep an eye on the morning newspaper. The member of Platinum Group's board of directors hung up the phone and left the CEO in a daze. Grumbling to himself, he put out the alcohol he had just stored and poured himself a glass

"It's going to be a rough December."

* * *

The next morning, at the Tainaka household, Satoshi came downstairs to see his sister with a grim expression on her face. In her hands was a copy of the morning newspaper. Without saying a word, she handed him the newspaper and he quickly saw why his sister looked so distraught. On the front page was a clearly printed headline – Platinum Group had just bought the remaining 70% of the Budokan stocks.

"This is terrible, Satoshi!" Ritsu said desperately, her faith shaken by the news "Mugi texted me this morning too. She said that when Kotobuki Corp's CFO called to buy some Budokan shares, he was told to take a hike."

In the middle of that exchange, the siblings' father then called them to the kitchen. He too was reading his own copy of the same morning newspaper and showed them a minor article in the inner folds of the paper. Featured on the article were the school ID photos of both Ritsu and Satoshi. They were printed in grayscale and somehow resembled mug shots. That minor article read that the two of them were forbidden from being in the Budokan on December 13, the day of Ui's debut. It was said that they were intending to disrupt the performances and would be apprehended on sight.

Platinum Group was intent on shooting down their plans before it even takes flight. With such restrictions in place, it seemed like Platinum Group had won.

"They've found out about our plan." Ritsu cried, "Damn it! What do we do now?"

"Ritsu, get a hold of yourself!" Satoshi replied, "We just have to stay calm and carry on."

"We won't be able to take the legitimate route anymore if they have 100% of the shares." Ritsu argued, "And with that… that restraining order, appearing illegally on the Budokan could have us arrested!"

"I understand that, sis." Satoshi said, "But they're declaring a war like this to scare us – we shouldn't let them win. There still has to be a way to get into the Budokan…"

"What are you suggesting we do, then?" Ritsu asked, trying to be more rational, "March headlong into the Budokan and we'll definitely be found out."

"We won't march headlong into that place, Ritsu." Satoshi said, "We'll be sneaking in. Mugi-senpai said that the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra was interested in collaborating with the Light Music Club again, right?"

Ritsu's breath stopped for a moment as she slowly made the connection Satoshi was trying to make.

"Satoshi, you crazy genius, you…" Ritsu said with a sigh of relief, "That might work, but… if Kotobuki Corp can't secure those shares, even the Osaka Philharmonic won't be allowed to perform on stage."

"We'll just need a third-party investor to buy some shares for us." Satoshi continued, smiling as his haphazardly forged plan started coming together, "Someone unrelated to Kotobuki Corp…"

Ritsu tilted her head, wondering who it might be that her brother knew.

"Let's finish breakfast quickly so we can go to Yui-nee's." Satoshi then said, "I think you'll be surprised."

* * *

Meanwhile, many miles away across the Pacific Ocean in the Philippine city of Batangas, a couple was having breakfast in a rented bungalow at the Batangas Country Club. Most of their things had already been packed into their suitcases and were already prepared to leave. Only a laptop displaying a number of real-time graphs of the Asia-Pacific stock markets and was connected online to the local DZMM radio remained unpacked. Then, sitting beside them were two Japanese passports, a pair of bus tickets to Manila and two plane tickets to Taipei, Taiwan.

The two of them were talking about their meeting with an executive who overlooked the operation of the natural gas refinery in Batangas City and their plans to invest some more money into the project. They soon finished their food and went on to drink their coffee before heading out to the bus depot. Their topic of conversation then naturally fell to the famed 'Barako' coffee that was grown in the Batangas area.

Taking into account the high prices of coffee in the international commodities market and the high chance of favorable returns, they soon also considered investing in the local coffee industry. Aside from the economic aspect of it all though, they remembered their daughters talking fondly about that type of coffee. Sipping their coffee that morning, the couple understood why their daughters liked barako coffee – it was delicious. It also reminded them of their daughters who were still living in Japan.

As they were thinking about them, though, the house phone rang. The man got up from his seat, picked it up and realized he had received an international call.

"Yui." The man said, very happy to hear his daughter's voice after a long time, "How are you doing?"

The man then listened to what his daughter had to say and nodded as he asked her to tell him more.

"Who is it, honey?" The woman then asked, turning to her husband.

"It's our Yui." The man replied, "And… she just proposed an investment we couldn't refuse – we're going to buy a share of the Budokan."

**To Be Continued**


	30. Stock Picks and Rock and Roll

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 30**

It was Sunday morning at the Kashiwara manor by the outskirts of Tokyo where Ui stayed. Though she was just a guest in the house, she was the first to wake up and was already up and about shortly after the sunrise. By the time the owner of the house was awake, she saw that Ui had eaten, taken her shower and was already prepared for the workday ahead of her.

"Give me a little more time, Hirasawa-san." Sarina said bashfully, "I'll get ready as soon as possible. We've got a lot of work lined up for us this week."

"Please take your time Kashiwara-san." Ui said in her most reassuring tone, "There's no need to rush."

Sarina however didn't seem to hear what Ui said and disappeared again into her room. Ui then sighed, thinking that her host was going out of her way for her sake. However, she understood too well that the two of them had a lot on their plates with Ui's approaching debut. With roughly two weeks left before the actual show, she would start practicing on the Budokan stage – the stage she and the rest of the Light Music Club back in Osaka had hoped to perform on… together.

Recalling that hope the Light Music Club steeled her resolve. Events may not have played out as they all would have wanted, but she would still be able to perform on the Budokan stage and she would perform for them. Then, she would opt out of the contract and return to Osaka. She had it all planned out… that was what Ui wanted to believe. Thoughts like that made the rising star's passion for music become a double-edged sword.

Ui's reflection would then be interrupted by a shocked cry of disbelief coming from her host's room. Two words rang out as clear as a bell.

"Austerity measures!"

Somewhat familiar with the term, Ui swung open the door to Sarina's room to check on her, only to see her on the phone with her father. Too distraught by what she was hearing on the phone to question Ui's intrusion, the host just continued talking with her father.

"Is something the matter?" Ui asked with concern as soon as Sarina ended the call. "Austerity measures are like budget cuts, right?"

"Hirasawa-san." Sarina said in a grim tone, side stepping Ui's question, "Would it be alright if one of our chauffeurs takes you to Budokan? Shoichi-kun will meet you there. There's… something I'll have to deal at company HQ with before anything else."

Feeling like she wasn't in a position to say no, Ui just accepted and Sarina drove off to downtown Tokyo. Ui on the other hand just retreated back to the household foyer to wait for the chauffer Sarina would send. Austerity measures were corporate financial matters after all, things that she shouldn't concern herself too much with. She should be more concerned about the upcoming exams in her new High School and her upcoming debut, she told herself, but had a gut wrenching feeling that these new chain of events had something to do with her yet again. It made her feel rather uneasy.

Meanwhile, as Sarina approached the headquarters of Kashiwara records, she noticed people gathering outside the building entrance as well. A good number of them held up pink slips and were shouting in protest. They blurted out insult after insult and taunted the CEO Mr. Kashiwara to come out in the open. A handful of police officers had been deployed to try to keep them from storming the place, but their presence seemed to have little effect on the infuriated crowd.

Shoichi Yagihara, who had been observing the ordeal with concern, noticed the arrival of the CEO's daughter. He met with her a good distance from the crowd then filled her in on what he knew. Basically, the questions on everyone's minds were why Mr. Kashiwara started laying people off and why he did it so suddenly and en masse.

"I don't mean to be rude," Yagihara said frankly, "but there's some serious shit going down in there, Sarina."

"I can tell that much." Sarina told her fiancée, "I'll handle this, Shoichi-kun. Hirasawa-san should already be waiting for you at the Budokan by now, so I guess you shouldn't keep her waiting."

"Of course." Yagihara said, catching on to Sarina's drift rather quickly. "After all, you're the only one he'd listen to at a time like this."

That morning, after the Platinum Group purchased the remaining 70% of the expensive shares of the Budokan, it became clear which of the Platinum Group of companies would shoulder the debt. Literally overnight, Kashiwara Records, which was only barely breaking even on the best of months, was now billions of kinsu in the red. Hundreds of employees had been laid off while the rest had their salaries cut to minimum wage. Twelve of the sixteen floors of the Kashiwara Records Tower were also to be auctioned off as office space to pay for the debt. Despite all of this, the debt had yet to be paid in full. Sarina, who understood her father more than anyone, had a good idea of what was happening and what had to be done.

Taking a deep breath, Sarina walked on over to the entrance of Kashiwara Tower and was allowed in by the guards stationed there. She took out her key to the express elevator and found herself on the top floor almost instantly. The executive receptionist who often called Mr. Kashiwara before she let a guest inside wasn't manning her desk, probably because she too was fired that morning, so Sarina just stormed through the double doors of the executive office and came face to face with her father.

"What is the meaning of this, dad?" Sarina demanded, voicing out the questions of the protesters outside, "Who in their right mind would buy billions of kinsu worth of shares when they're already in the red?"

"It was a necessary expense, dear." Mr. Kashiwara said somberly, his empty flask tightly in his hand, "Buying the Budokan shares was the only way to safeguard our prospect and all the other artists in our label from dissent. Besides, someone like Hirasawa-san is hard to come along, so we need her to stay with us and she has to perform our way. Pop music can be very profitable if we play our cards right."

"Dad! I thought we already talked about this?" Sarina countered, "The terms of our contract are negotiable and Hirasawa-san practically has the right to leave at any time. We have to respect her decision!"

"I will respect her decision." Mr. Kashiwara replied, "I just don't want a pair of upstart bands trying to influence her decision and taking her away from us…"

Sarina was aghast. She knew her father had become successful and had managed the company well over the years through his cold logic and cunning, but this was very unbecoming of him. It was unreasonable, and she could tell that her father didn't have a choice in making that decision.

"Mr. Ran got you to do this, didn't he?" Sarina quickly deduced, silencing her father.

"Well, yes… but that's not the point."

"That is the point, dad!" Sarina growled, "As much as I dislike pop music, I'll agree with you that it is good for someone like Hirasawa-san to make music under our label. She's a true artist after all who just loves her music – which we'll talk about later. However, plunging your company deep into debt is one thing while being a puppet to Mr. Ran is another."

"It's alright, Sarina… Like I said, if we play our cards right, then Hirasawa-san will be a great success and…"

"The question is, dad… are you still holding any cards at this point? An unprofitable business plan is doomed to fail."

"If you were in my shoes, dear… what would you do?"

"I'd put that 70% of the Budokan shares back on the market to stop the bleeding and sell another 10% to pay off the principal of those loans before interest compounds." Sarina said as she computed the debts of Kashiwara Records, "Block off the Kotobuki Corp affiliate companies if you're still intent on shielding Hirasawa-san, but we need that money this instant. The life of this company is hanging on a balance."

"Mr. Ran won't approve of that!" Mr. Kashiwara argued, "He and the other Platinum Group companies wouldn't either."

"Then the next step is simple." Sarina said with confidence, "Break away from Platinum Group. That way Mr. Ran won't have a say on our corporate affairs anymore."

Mr. Kashiwara set aside his flask then rubbed his temples in deep thought. He then turned to his daughter and said in a commanding tone.

"Sarina, call those people gathered outside and tell them they're back on the payroll and to get back to work this instant! We'll have a meeting about salaries later today, but we have a company to run here. The two of us can't sell billions of kinsu worth of shares by ourselves, can we?"

"Understood." Sarina said with a relieved smile, "What about you, dad?"

"I have some calls to make." Mr. Kashiwara said, "First, I'm calling off the sale of Kashiwara Tower. Then, I'm going to tell Mr. Ran that he and Platinum Group can go burn in hell. Good riddance."

Sarina approved wholeheartedly then went on to usher the protesting crowd back to their workplace. As the people slowly trickled back in, she sent Yagihara a text message saying that he and Ui should go on with the Budokan practice without her. The moment the re-sale of most of the Budokan shares became public, their finance office was stormed with calls.

Without a doubt, it was going to be a busy day for Sarina at Kashiwara Tower, but the same would be true for Ui at the Budokan. A solo debut at the Budokan in the coveted winter performance season was no laughing matter, especially for a girl who had only just recently started performing live – with a band, no less. Sarina could only wish her guest the best.

* * *

"Alright then, Hirasawa-san." Yagihara said with absolute pride, "Welcome to the Budokan."

He and Ui stood just outside of the Budokan building where the two of them were admiring the view.

"Whoa…" gasped Ui, "This is amazing. I… I've only seen pictures before, so to actually be here… for it to be right here in front of me and all… it's incredible!"

The girl realized that she was starting to not make any sense, but she couldn't hide her amazement and honest happiness to be there that moment. Yagihara just folded his arms and smiled as Ui was utterly moved. Though she was scheduled to perform there in less than two weeks, she still couldn't believe that she had made it there.

Once Ui had regained her composure, Yagihara led her into the building where she was given a short tour. Ui was so excited and had been prepared to start practicing that very instant, but another artist under the Kashiwara label was already practicing so she made do with Yagihara's tour. She was going to be a performer there soon, true, but at that moment she was a pretty much a tourist – a very, very enthusiastic tourist.

Yagihara showed her around every notable place there was to see and was able to answer every question Ui fielded without a problem. He seemed to know the place like the back of his hand.

"You must have been here a lot, Yagihara-san." Ui noted, "You even seem to know the staff well."

"Well, I do… uhm, did cover the music scene in Nagoya LIVE. I frequent this place whenever there are concerts. I probably still will." Yagihara explained, "Great musicians often choose to perform here after all. The Beatles, Bob Dylan… even Judas Priest a few years back."

"Judas Priest?" Ui repeated, having heard that band name before "That's one of Sawako-sensei's favorite bands!"

"You can say that again." Yagihara chuckled, "She was there at the concert with her old band and those girls were screaming their lungs out and banging their heads like there was no tomorrow. Judas Priest was one of the major influences of the Death Devils after all – seeing her idols on the stage was a life-changing experience for her. The Death Devils may never have reached the Budokan, but they were satisfied to see Judas Priest work the arena."

"The 'Rising in the East' concert was back in 2005, I recall." Ui said, remembering her teacher Sawako mention it once or twice in the past, "Have there been any other interesting performances here since then, Yagihara-san?"

Ui smiled, expecting him to tell stories of countless artists singing great songs and moving the hearts of thousands upon thousands of people throughout the years. Instead, Yagihara's reply was a bleak shaking of his head.

"The short answer is, 'no'." Yagihara said, dispelling Ui's excitement. "There are some of those passable to good performances here and there, but nothing could compare to those great performances. I've seen videos of the Beatles' performance and the crowd went wild the moment they opened with _Rock and Roll Music_ and kept them screaming for more throughout… Then the JP concert I saw with my own eyes, ending with _You've Got Another Thing Comin_, on an encore no less, was legendary spectacle of epic proportions."

He then watched the artist already on stage practicing the song she would debut that night – a cookie cutter pop song with pre-made out of the can beats and a wannabe rapper dishing out poor, pointless rhymes. Yagihara shook his head with regret.

"I don't mean to talk bad, but all we're left with for the most part is this lifeless tripe."

Though Ui's song didn't have the wannabe rapper and actually had some good lyrics, it still fell under the cookie cutter category and did feel a little empty. Songs like that however were ones dominating the airwaves around the world and were being mass produced without mercy.

"That's the sad truth of the music industry." Ui said in a somber tone. Yagihara then soon realized he had said something he probably shouldn't have said and tried taking back his words. However, Ui was well aware of the issue Yagihara had pointed out and more or less agreed with his views. What really hurt Ui was the stinging feeling like she had lost sight of her true self… as if she had lost sight of that dream she had held on to so dearly.

"Definitely…" Ui muttered silently to herself, "After that performance, I will definitely go back home."

* * *

Later that evening, Yagihara returned home after the strenuous weekend practice of Ui at the Budokan. Up until then, Ui's performances had been more or less good compared to the other artists in the Kashiwara label. Ever since his slip of tongue though, her quality of performance took a nose dive and she even started forgetting the lyrics in the middle of the song. Not once has she achieved the quality of performance she had given during her time with Okaeri and that day's practice made it seem like the spectacular debut he and Sarina had hoped for Ui seem like a longshot in every sense of the word.

Trying to take his mind off the poor practice, he turned on the TV in his living room and surfed through the channels. He was looking for something interesting to watch when he came across the news channel. Just as he thought, the show was buzzing with talk about Kashiwara Corp's separation from Platinum Group and the sale of 80% of the Budokan shares it had held. Mr. Ran denounced the move of Mr. Kashiwara saying that Kashiwara Records would fail without Platinum Group while rival record labels were predicting Kashiwara Records to fold within the next year. The story that followed it wasn't any happier – the performance of the debuting girl he and Ui had seen earlier that morning was poorly received. Critics pinpointed everything they hated about it but focused on the point Yagihara disliked the most. They too thought that it was lifeless tripe, and wondered if real music had already ceased to exist. Yagihara turned off the TV in frustration.

It was at around that time that he received a phone call from a certain Sawako Yamanaka in Osaka. Not used to having her call him, he picked it up to find out what she wanted.

"Oh, I just wanted to check up on Ui-chan." Sawako said, "Lots of rumors are flying around about her and her debut, so I am personally concerned. She more or less was like a student to me after all."

Groaning, Yagihara told her that Ui really wasn't at her best at that point. She had been enthusiastic about her debut at the start and it showed in her singing, but her enthusiasm had all but disappeared, especially after that afternoon.

"You told her something really heavy there, Shoichi." Sawako said

"I know." Yagihara replied, "I apologized for saying such a thing and she told me not to worry about it, but she really took it to heart."

"The thing is, reality can be hard and she has to understand that." Sawako countered, "If she really is serious about becoming an artist, she has to be aware of that truth."

"That may be true…" Yagihara said, "But if it carries on like this, then Hirasawa-san will just be… another could-have-been."

"That's not going to happen, Shoichi." Sawako replied, "Not on our watch."

Yagihara then quickly bolted up from his seat and realized what Sawako was trying to tell him.

"The HTT and Okaeri really are planning on performing on the Budokan, huh?"

"You catch on well, Shoichi, but it's not like what you think." Sawako said, "They've been saying that we're trying to get Hirasawa-san to come back to Osaka, right? Well, that's not true. Long story, but it's quite the opposite that we're aiming for."

"I'm glad that's the case, but that's still impossible, Yamanaka-san. Mr. Kashiwara may have broken away from Platinum Group, but he'll still do everything in his power to keep them out of the Budokan. The HTT and Okaeri, as much as they deserve to perform there at least once, will not be given a permit to perform."

"True…" Sawako said in an intrigued tone, "But there might be another association willing to take them under its wing. They might have already secured a permit."

"Is that so?" Yagihara said, now sharing Sawako's intrigue, "I get the gist of what you're planning to do now, so I'm guessing you really called me to ask for a helping hand."

"Caught me red handed." Sawako laughed, "Do you know anyone who might be willing to help us?"

"It's just me and Sarina-chan this time, Yamanaka-san. If I get too many people involved, word will reach Mr. Kashiwara and it'll be game over. Besides, we'll be all the help you need."

"I'll leave it up to you two then." Sawako said confidently, "We'll show the world that true music still exists."

"Definitely." Yagihara said in total agreement, "The Budokan has long been due for a spectacular performance – I'm pretty sure that Hirasawa-san's debut may very well be it. So, if there's anything you need to prepare, just give me a call."

"Yeah, I'll call you back with the technical stuff and the specifics, but there are two things I wanted to ask you now."

"Shoot."

"First of all, could you send me a recording of Ui's debut single? A practice one will suffice." Sawako said, "Then… could you reserve 750 tickets to the debut?"

"750 tickets?"

"Yes, you heard me right. 750 tickets – close together, if possible." Sawako said zealously, "We're starting an insurrection."

**To Be Continued**


	31. And It's a One Possession Game!

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 31**

It was early morning of the first day of the Winter Term exams in the staff room of Sakura-gakou. Sawako Yamanaka, sleepy as she was, stood vigilantly before the school's heavy duty fax-slash-printer machine as it pumped out the test papers the students of Sakura-gakou would be answering later that day. Keeping a cup of Barako coffee close by, she took a sip every now and then to keep herself from dropping to the floor. To her surprise, that certain blend of coffee was quite effective.

The Filipino coffee is one of the many coffee and tea blends she received from the members of the Light Music Club (namely Mugi) in exchange for her 300,000 kinsu contribution to the bidding for Fraulein. If she was going to get world-class coffee and tea (and snacks when she went to the Music Room) for the next year, she thought, she wouldn't mind handing them the 300,000 kinsu too much. As Sawako thought about this, the headmistress walked into the room, also bearing a cup of coffee in hand.

"Pike place." The headmistress said, raising her cup of coffee to Sawako. "Miss Kotobuki sure knows how to pick good coffee and tea."

Sawako chuckled in agreement then raised her cup in acknowledgement. Apparently, the headmistress had also been paid by the Light Music Club in coffee and tea. After all, the headmistress had agreed to pay for half of the tickets for Ui's concert in the Budokan – each one being particularly expensive.

"My grumpy counterpart at Osaka West got his share of drinks too." The headmistress laughed, "He paid for the other half."

The 750 tickets Sawako had reserved were to be distributed to students of both Sakura-gakou and Osaka West by the school heads free of charge. Naturally, since Osaka West was many times larger, the public school would have more tickets to distribute than Sakura-gakou. Nearly every student of both schools however was expected to watch at the Budokan on December the 13th – those who didn't claim the free tickets had bought tickets on their own accord.

"Sakura-gakou and Osaka West will be at the Budokan then." Sawako said, taking a sip of coffee as she tried to imagine the scene, "That includes the faculties too, I presume."

"Of course." The headmistress nodded, "I may not look like it, but I was a bit of a concertgoer in my day."

The headmistress then came closer to Sawako and whispered,

"I was there at the Judas Priest concert back in 2005, dear. I remembered seeing you and your friends having the time of your lives there."

Sawako's face then paled. She realized that the true metal head within her may have been found out.

"I was in the faculty when Death Devils was still in Sakura-gakou. I've already known about it then." The headmistress said, "But I don't take it against you, you know. I'm an appreciator of good music and that Judas Priest concert was just godly."

"Respect, headmistress." Sawako said with a smile and a horns gesture, "Respect."

The teacher and headmistress then fondly talked about the great concerts of the Budokan. Truly, if they were only given a chance, they believed that the HTT, Okaeri and Ui could give a performance that can be added to the pantheon of legendary performances on the Budokan stage and dispel the notion that good music was dead.

As the two of them talked, some two printed articles had broken the monotony of test papers coming out of the printer-slash-fax machine. They were faxes sent from Shoichi Yagihara and Sarina Kashiwara from Tokyo. The first one was a lyrics sheet of Ui's debut single that Sawako had requested earlier on. The second one was a detailed map of the Budokan grounds and an overview of the 'defenses' Mr. Kashiwara had placed in anticipation for the break-in of the HTT and Okaeri.

Sawako picked up the map and the lyrics sheet and studied them carefully.

"Well… this shouldn't be too hard." Sawako said with a smirk, "However… that won't leave us with a lot of time."

She rolled up the map and sighed.

"They'll think of something. Tainaka-san and her little brother always do. They'll be fine."

* * *

8:30 PM, Japanese Standard Time. The sound of drums resounded in the living room of the Tainaka household where my sister Ritsu and I were. Ritsu was the one on the drums, playing the songs of the HTT no less, and I was just there waiting for my turn. Originally, I had intended to read through my History of Feudal Japan book again while I waited, but the moment Ritsu started playing the beat of the HTT's new song, I couldn't help but drop the book. Oda Nobunaga can wait.

"That's the song Yui-nee recently wrote up, right?" I asked as Ritsu took a break, wiping the sweat from her brow with a towel.

"Yup, yup." Ritsu nodded. She then turned to me and smiled. "How do you like it, little bro? You've heard our first practice of it as a band already, right?"

"I did. It's getting better everyday." I replied, "Especially the drum parts – you're putting in a lot of effort into this song, sis."

"Well, of course!" Ritsu said with pride, "This is our big one shot in Budokan! Hah! We might even get arrested afterwards, but that's the thrill of a guerilla live after all!"

The two of us then laughed –we must have been imagining each other getting tackled by brawny police officers and getting handcuffed. That probably won't happen though, since the HTT an Okaeri were practically coming into the Budokan as part of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, but my imagination as well as my sister's run wild at times like these. It's not that we truly wanted to see each other get dragged into a police cruiser less than two weeks before Christmas – the two of us were just really excited to finally be able to perform on the Budokan… and to see Ui carry on with her dream. Yeah, that's why we're so hyped.

"Alright then, Satoshi." Ritsu said as she checked the wall clock, "It's your turn now."

She stood up from the drum seat and patted it, inviting me to take her place. I obliged and took the seat while Ritsu occupied the sofa where her pre-calculus book was waiting for her. Taking out my drum sticks, I played through the songs of Okaeri in succession while Ritsu read her book, bobbing her head to the beat. Before long, the time to play Okaeri's new song came and Ritsu promptly dropped her book to listen.

"It's the new song now, then." Ritsu said excitedly, "Technically, that is."

Technically was a good way to put it. It was the newest song on the Okaeri roster, newer than _Natural Born Challengers_, but it wasn't made by us. It was Ui's debut song in the Budokan – the one we would be covering.

Yagihara and Sarina Kashiwara had leased us (discreetly) two versions of Ui's practice recordings not too long ago. The first one included the mediocre beats and electronic instruments that seem so prominent in today's pop scene while the second one was just a recording of Ui's singing. Since Ritsu and I both hated the crap background music haphazardly thrown in anyways, I decided to just play the one with just Ui's voice. I plugged in my MP3 player into some speakers and prepared to play.

Hearing Ui's voice again through that recording gave me mixed feelings as I played. Not only was I missing Ui more and more after listening to her track for two days straight, I could hear the uncertainty in Ui's voice as she sang. Her tone was bright and her tempo was excellent, but I couldn't help but sense faint confusion and maybe even sadness in her voice. When Ritsu and Yui-nee heard it, they too agreed with my observation. I wonder how she'll react when she sees us again.

The song ended and Ritsu folded her arms and gave an approving smile.

"It's not there yet, but we'll get there." She said, "Without a rhythm to follow, it's still touch and feel – know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I thought so." I said, remembering having to do impromptu for the most part, "We really ought to get this done soon – and to practice some more."

"Don't get too wrapped up in that for now, Satoshi." Ritsu said shaking her head, "We both still have exams tomorrow and the day after that. We'll pick things up after then."

"But…"

"Satoshi." Ritsu said with a commanding voice, "I understand that you want to make this performance the absolute greatest thing anyone has ever seen – as do I – but that isn't the only thing on our plate. Academics are an important thing too, you know."

Ritsu held on to her pre-calculus book as she said this. For a moment, I thought she was pulling my leg, but she was serious about what she was saying. When she was listening to me play through the older Okaeri canon, she actually was paying close attention to the text in her book. I, on the other hand, pretty much just skimmed my Feudal Japan book. It wasn't like my sister to be so serious about studying like this.

"Priorities, Satoshi-kun. You'll understand when you're a senior." Ritsu said with a sigh, "University entrance exams, a career. The future won't be walks in the park, so we ought to be prepared."

I guess that reaction was sort of to be expected. Ritsu was a senior after all, and she had to deal with university entrance exams on top of the Sakura-gakou exams. If I remembered correctly, the girls were going to different universities too. Mio-senpai would be going to the all-girl's university where her upperclassman Megumi Sokabe, or something like that, was studying. Ritsu and Yui-nee on the other hand were planning to go to the National university that Manabe-senpai (and Natsuki-senpai too, apparently) were applying for. The grades of those two had been rapidly rising for a while now. Finally, Mugi-senpai had applied to a prominent business school in Tokyo. In short, the members of the Light Music Club were going to scatter far and wide. Thinking about it pushed me to ask Ritsu a hard question.

"Will the HTT disband after you four seniors graduate then?"

Ritsu turned away with a heavy feeling in her heart.

"It can't be helped. All of us have paths we had set for ourselves to follow and they will, sadly, be leading us all over the country. Continuing the HTT without the original members just won't be the same, no? The same is true for Okaeri and the sophomores, I presume."

True enough, we sophomores too looked like we would be pursuing other paths aside from bands. We were still generally undecided, but I'm pretty sure Francis would follow Mugi-senpai wherever she goes.

"Each and every member of the Light Music Club… Nodoka-chan, Sawa-chan and your senpai Shinohara-san too… they all mean a lot to me. Plus, I assume the same is true vice versa."

Ritsu then clenched her fist with determination.

"But it's not like we all won't get together to perform here and there! Then, like you told Azusa, if we believe in each other and keep each other in our hearts, then we will never be apart." Ritsu said with passion. She then turned to me with a smile. "That's what we're going to show Ui at the Budokan, right?"

"Yeah."

I stood up from my seat then collected my things from the living room. The two of us then marched back up to our rooms to study for our exams. Everyone truly has their own agendas, it seems. Ui was truly the only one among us who was willing to sacrifice everything to pursue the path of the artist, so she truly deserves to go further up that path. In a sense, our guerilla live on the 13th is just our way of cheering her on. That will be enough for us.

* * *

'_Is this really what I want?_' This was the question that had been haunting my thoughts and dreams for a while now. '_Somehow, I thought things would have turned out differently_.'

It was a quarter to 10PM at the Budokan stage where another artist of the Kashiwara Records label, a pop-rock band this time, was performing. Yagihara-san and Sarina-chan sat with me in the vast arena to watch the Kashiwara-backed performer that night to show me things I might be able to expect during my debut concert on the 13th. Though the artist was a fairly successful veteran of the Kashiwara label, barely a quarter of the Budokan arena was filled, emanating a sort of emptiness that chilled me to the bone.

The band, as I would find out later, was the band that landed the #3 spot in the Natsufest contest back in the summer. Their bid for the Natsufest performance was supported by the Platinum Group, though I guess that would have been the case. It just saddened me that the Platinum Group's endorsement may have been the only thing that brought them to that point.

I love all my fellow artists. I really do. It's just that when I watched the third-ranked Natsufest band on the stage that night, I didn't feel their love for music. The vocalist's ego was so huge and didn't even give any significant effort to his singing. His lack of talent and determination was amplified by the fact that only a handful of girls were actually cheering for him – perhaps for his passable good looks. The guitarist too seemed to only be trying to impress his own groupies at the front stage and the bassist seemed to be living in her own world. The drummer was the highlight of the group, more or less carrying the performance on her shoulders, but she was noticeably frustrated with the rest of the band. This was the band that Okaeri barely defeated to take 2nd place, but this band looked like it was on the verge of collapse.

Mirroring the mostly lifeless performance on stage, the audience too reciprocated the deathly apathy. Aside from the vocalist's girls and the guitarist's groupies, the audience was coldly unresponsive. The people seated near me and Yagihara-san and Sarina-chan were mumbling about the performance being crap. A group to our side was saying that buying their tickets for that night was a mistake. Then, in the far corner, a journalist with a disappointed expression on his face was already writing up a report on his notepad – a scathing report that would appear on the evening newsflash and on the morning newspaper. I couldn't stand to watch this performance any more either.

I turned my attention away from the performance and looked at a copy of the lyrics sheet of the song I will sing on my debut. The lights from the stage were bright enough for me to read it. As I did so, the sound of the poor performance and the mounting booing was drowned out and filled instead with my memory of singing this song. I recalled the simple melody of the song without the background music track and listened to it intently in my head, feeling every word and every note. Then, as if second nature, my left hand started clumsily fretting a phantom guitar in the air – generating the chords and progressions as I went through the song again and again. Soon enough, the warm, clean sound of my Tele came into mind, giving sound to the chords that I imagined strumming in the air. How I have missed that sound.

Taking a breath, the performance in my mind faded away and my consciousness restored me to my seat in the Budokan arena. The concert of the third-ranked band had just ended, on a weak note it seemed. People were already trickling out of the arena, still voicing out their dissatisfaction. However, all I could think about now were those chords. Drawing out a ball-point, I penned down the chords I had conjured up earlier alongside the lyrics. I had become oblivious to the draining aura of disappointment that had filled the grand arena.

"Well, Hirasawa-san…" Yagihara said turning to me, "That wasn't exactly…"

He had been meaning to apologize for showing me such a poor example of a performance as the type I should expect, but his words were interrupted when he saw me penning down chords on the piece of paper. I realized that he and Sarina-chan were looking at me with amazement, so I showed them what I was doing.

"Guitar chords…" Sarina-chan said as she and Yagihara-san went through the paper, "You made this just now?"

I nodded in confirmation. My two companions then looked at each other with synchronization and their eyes brightened. Yagihara-san then scratched his head and said in an apologetic tone.

"Actually Hirasawa-san, I was looking for that copy of your song lyrics. You didn't return it to me after yesterday's performance."

"Oh right!" I gasped, immediately handing him the copy. I had been forgetting the lyrics often recently, so I relied more and more on the lyrics sheets. However, the guitar chords…

"Don't worry, Hirasawa-san." Sarina-chan said with a smile, "We'll photocopy this sheet for you."

"Really? Thanks!"

They then brought me over to the Budokan's office, ran the sheet through the photocopier machine then gave me the original sheet.

"By the way, Hirasawa-san." Sarina suggested, "A friend of mine works at a nearby music store – they've got some nice acoustic guitars in stock. If we drop by, I'm sure she'll let you try one out."

"I appreciate the offer, Sarina-chan…" I said shyly, "But, you know, these chords were just theoretical and all…"

"But that's the way you'd really want to play it, no?" She countered. Her guess was spot on. "So come on, it'll be fun!"

"Will Yagihara-san be going with us too?"

"Actually," Yagihara said, pocketing the freshly photocopied sheet, "I have some, erm, work to do. I'll just see you two tomorrow – and don't forget to study for your exams too! The last exam is still an exam, you ought to remember that!"

"Will do!"

With that, Yagihara-san stayed behind in the Budokan while Sarina-chan and I headed over to her friend's music store. I was lent a beautiful acoustic guitar for the night and Sarina-chan sat before me to listen to me play. I spread out the lyrics sheet with the chords on a music stand and prepared to play. Then I realized something. Surely, Yagihara-san could have printed another copy of the lyrics sheet for my song any time he wanted. Why did he want to take the one I had? Maybe I'll never know. Shaking that thought away, I set my fingers on the strings and felt them tenderly. It was a very nostalgic sensation. It all came back to me in an instant. I read through the chord progressions once then started to play.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Sawako Yamanaka's apartment, an un-amped Gibson Flying V could be heard in a moonlit room. The bespectacled teacher sat with her guitar before a sheet of paper that had come out of her fax machine not too long ago. It was a third article from her friend Shoichi Yagihara in Tokyo – the lyrics of Ui's song with the chords she had just penned down. She strummed every note and chord with care and listened to each one blend with each other.

"Hirasawa-san still has it in her." Sawako thought to herself with a smile, "Good for her. She really might just make it – for all of us."

* * *

"Five minutes left." Sawa-chan said sleepily as she sank into the teacher's chair.

Upon hearing this, the people who had already finished groaned in boredom while those who had yet to finish scrambled to get whatever they could do done. I, of course, was part of the latter group – but not for long. Writing down the last few sentences of my essay, I pushed the paper a bit in front of me and sighed in relief. The second to the last High School exam seasons had just come to an end. Mio and Mugi seemed to share that relief. Yui on the other hand was still working at her essay. The three of us could just wish her well.

With still a little time left on the clock, my attention slowly turned towards our teacher who seems to have slept in late yet again. If she keeps this up, she might end up getting sick or something. However, the confidence in her eyes showed that her soul wasn't tired at all. She must have a lot of faith in Okaeri and the HTT – or maybe it's because of the coffee and tea Mugi, erm…, I mean the Light Music Club paid her. (Mugi insisted that the teabags and coffee roasts were a gift from all of us collectively – we truly are in Mugi's debt)

While I wasn't looking, Yui apparently had finished her paper too and had a dazed look about her. The moment she noticed us looking at her though, she gave us a confident peace sign. We would later find out that the essay she made was an expertly structured study of Japanese foreign policy in South East Asia and its effects on the Japanese markets… and there I was starting to feel proud about my essay on the need to maintain the parks in Downtown Osaka better. Yui's arguments were shockingly sound and her knowledge on these sorts of things were remarkably broad – what else could we expect from the daughter of professional venture capitalists? Seeing how she scratched her head shyly and talked in a wishy-washy voice however made it hard to believe that she can occasionally be sharp and witty.

Anyways, the papers were passed, we were shocked by Yui's intellectual essay, and then we prepared to for our afternoon practice. Just as Sawa-chan was about to leave the room with our test papers in tow, she asked us to wait up.

"You're all going to be practicing at the Osaka Conservatory, right?" She asked

"Yeah. Why do you ask, Sawa-chan?"

"I just wanted you to know that I'll be dropping by later." She explained, "There are a few things I'd have to show you, but it'll be best to discuss it with the boys and the maestro in attendance."

"It's about our Budokan stint, then." I said, "Well, it's good that you'll be able to drop by, Sawa-chan. Mr. and Mrs. Kotobuki have been very supportive, but they'd want to be formally briefed on what's going to go down."

"Exactly." Sawa-chan said. She then nodded off then left in a bit of a hurry.

"Speaking of Mr. and Mrs. Kotobuki…" Manabe-san added, "Since you'll be meeting with them, could you perhaps double check the status of our transportation with them? Transporting seven hundred and fifty or more people would be tough without their help, after all."

"Will do, Manabe-san!" I said eagerly, adding her request to my to-do list.

"Why don't you come along with us, Nodoka-chan?" Yui then invited, "We won't mind if you're there to watch – plus I'm sure you'll like it too!"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm sorry Yui." Manabe-san said, "The Winter Term may be over, but the work of a Student Council President is never done – especially with this next stunt we're trying to pull off. Yamanaka-sensei and I will actually be attending the same meeting with the faculty staff at Osaka West."

"At Osaka West?" I asked

"Yes." Manabe-san confirmed, "What we're planning will need as much cooperation between the two schools as possible. The headmistress said it would also be a good opportunity to establish friendlier ties with Osaka West."

"That's good to know. We'll be counting on you then, Manabe-san." I said with a thankful bow, "Thank you for everything you've done for us up until now."

"No problem, Tainaka-san." Manabe-san reassured, "And don't talk like we won't see each other. I have a feeling you, Yui and I will be meeting each other at the national university soon anyways."

"Hehe, right. Of course."

The girls and I bid the student council president farewell then went on our way to pick up Azusa and Jun downstairs. The boys said that they would catch up with us at the Osaka Conservatory and asked us to go on ahead without them. Along the way, I noticed my dear old friend Mio busy texting as she walked.

"Mhm…" I hummed suspiciously, "Would you happen to be texting with Sokabe-senpai?"

Mio blushed almost instantly. I'll take that as a 'yes'. My, my, Mio and Sokabe-senpai have been getting along well recently. I only saw the message Mio received in the corner of my eye for a second, but I assumed it was on the lines of 'I hope you did well in the exams. Let's go out to celebrate sometime! Miss you and love you! Mwah!'

"You're making half of that stuff up!" Mio complained, absolutely flustered. I couldn't help but laugh. I really was winging it for the most part anyways, haha. Still, that means that my guess was within the ballpark. Whatever it is, I'm happy you've found someone Mio. I'm sure I'll find my special guy someday, but heck, I'm happy with the way things are. Speaking of those special someones…

"How are you and Suzuki-kun getting along, Mugi-chan?"

The moment I mentioned him, Mugi's face turned red and she suddenly couldn't help but smile. I guess that means her answer was on the lines of 'really well'.

"He does still talk about wanting to make it up for me for paying twelve million kinsu in the bid for Fraulein." Mugi then said, "However, in all honesty, the time I spent with him is already more than enough. It's also why I'll sort of miss him when I go to Tokyo to study."

"Eh? Didn't you know that Suzuki-kun plans to go to the same business university as you?"

"He is?" Mugi gasped in surprise. The smile that followed that told me that it was a pleasant one. Gah! Suzuki-kun must have been meaning to keep it a surprise! Sadly, it wasn't just Mugi I had leaked Suzuki-kun's plans to. Yui had also been listening in too…

"You guys had better keep this a secret, aight?" I said. The two of them nodded, and promised not to tell anyone else. "And Mugi, please try to act happy when Suzuki-kun tells you about this."

"I don't need to act, Riichan." Mugi said in her peaceful tone, "My Francis is thinking about me, and I'm very much happy to know that."

Haaah, conflict resolved then. Still, Mugi and Suzuki-kun are quite the sweet couple. They're almost as mushy as when Ui was here in Osaka with Satoshi. It made my imagination as well as Yui's run wild.

"Riichan," Yui said with misplaced determination, "I'm pretty sure Suzuki-kun and Mugi-chan will get married! That's for certain!"

"No kidding. But not only that, Yui." I continued, "I bet you they'll have lots of kids."

"I know, I know!" Yui squeaked excitedly, "And they'll be speaking so many different languages! So cute~!"

Heh, Yui truly is the amusing one. On top of that, our wavelengths are more or less similarly tuned – probably because our younger siblings are in love with each other and we were in each other's homes very often. She'll definitely be someone I'll get along with in university. Dorming with her will be quite fun if I look at it that way. Manabe-san and Satoshi's upperclassman Shinohara-san will be a good bunch to hang around too in university. That'll be something to look forward to, I guess.

Still, walking through the hallways of Sakura-gakou, I found it hard to believe that we seniors were going to graduate. There are a billion wonderful memories we had made here in this school, but I understand that many more await is in our lives beyond these walls. Besides…

"Ritsu-senpai." Azusa said with determination as she and Jun came to meet us outside of their classroom, "We're ready to go."

These two sophomores standing before us and the two boys in the school over yonder still have some good times waiting for them in the year to come. I wish them the best.

* * *

"Seriously, dude! You should have been there!" Francis said with total enthusiasm as he showed me into the Grand Theater of the Osaka Conservatory, "Man! I can't exaggerate how epic that time was!"

Ever since we had gotten here, Francis promptly went full auto with his favorite anecdotes. Appropriately, the one he told me this time around was one of the newest ones – the one about his performance here at the Conservatory to ask for Mugi-senpai's forgiveness.

"You can't believe how nervous I was." He said, shaking his head in disbelief, "Mio and Tainaka-senpai were quite rattled as well."

"I could imagine it, somehow." I replied, "Joining in on the performance of a renowned Classical group with a standard guitar-bass-drum setup… not to mention the fact that Mugi-senpai was still a little mad at you guys then."

"Mhm." Francis hummed in agreement, "But when we got on stage, that fear went away."

"Probably because you saw Mugi-senpai again." I said with a suspicious glare. "You must have been stoked."

"Well, there was that too." My friend laughed. It was just as I thought. The two of us then took up seats in the Theater to wait for the rest of the Light Music Club and Francis told me the rest of his anecdote. Meanwhile, on the stage of the Grand Theater, a handful of members of the Osaka Philharmonic were setting up for their practice with us.

Listening to Francis, I soon realized that the Light Music Club would more or less repeat what they did in the Osaka Conservatory in the Budokan arena. To say that we would be doing the exact same thing however would be a mistake. First of all, the Budokan was many times larger than the Conservatory and the audience we would be performing to would be enormous. The Budokan is also a stage of legends – a stage where we would have to prove our worth with our music. Then, there was also the security guards Mr. Kashiwara would have posted around the premises on the 13th – there was a chance of us getting arrested if we aren't careful. Nothing we had done thus far could prepare us for a performance like this and it was made clear when the Sakura-gakou girls and Sawa-chan arrived later on.

Before the practice started, Sawa-chan asked to meet with just me, Ritsu and Mr. Kotobuki. Just as I had guessed, we were there to discuss the specifics of the Budokan invasion.

Topically, our battle plan was quite simple. The HTT and Okaeri were basically going to join in on the performance of the Osaka Philharmonic like Francis, Mio-senpai and my sister did in this very stage. Since we were performing under the wing of the Osaka Philharmonic, we would only make our appearance towards the end of the Orchestra's timeslot. When we got down to the details of our operation though, things started to get complicated.

"A concerto can last for a while, and it wouldn't be a good idea to cut songs from it liberally." Mr. Kotobuki said as soon as we started talking about timetables, "The best we would therefore be able to give you is seven minutes."

"Including setup?" Ritsu asked

"Yes, Tainaka-san." Mr. Kotobuki said firmly, "Seven minutes including setup. We won't be able to promise you a microphone check beforehand either, unless you plan to risk exposing yourselves prematurely."

A seven minute timeslot including setup without a prior mic-check will be tough… not to mention the fact that we were dividing it between the HTT and Okaeri.

"There'll be time in between the Philharmonic's performance and Ui's debut concert, right?" I asked, turning to Sawa-chan for confirmation. "How long do you think it will be?"

"Roughly ten minutes." Sawa-chan replied precisely, "You'd all still be under time pressure though. The moment either of the two bands plays, you'll be exposed and Kashiwara's troops will be itching to apprehend you lot once you're off the stage."

She then rolled out a map showing the predicted security detail on the day of Ui's debut concert. A lot of them would be roaming around, especially during the time between the Philharmonic's concert and Ui's. However… there was something that Sawa-chan said that didn't add up.

"Apprehend us… once we're off stage?" I asked

"Yes." Sawa-chan said, "They won't arrest you while you're on the stage. If they do something like that, it will cause quite a commotion. The crowds would complain about it, especially since a good number of them would be on our side from the off set."

"We'll be safe as long as we're on the stage then. Performing, that is." Ritsu said, catching my drift, "We just need to set it up so that we'll be able to put on a continuous performance. Transition is key."

"But how will you be able to convey your message to Ui-chan?" Sawa-chan asked, "That's the reason why you're going to the Budokan in the first place, right?"

"Someone will have to go pick her up and bring her to the concert hall then." I replied, "She has to be able to see it with her own eyes – that we were able to perform on the Budokan."

"Pick her up?" Sawa-chan gasped, "The performance of the HTT and Okaeri will run well into the downtime. Whoever it is you're planning to send to fetch Ui-chan will be going on a suicide mission! And in case I didn't mention it, Ui-chan's dressing room will be quite heavily guarded too."

My only reply to her words of caution was a determined grin. Sawa-chan then sighed audibly in amusement.

"You really love Ui-chan, don't you, Tainaka-kun?"

"I wouldn't have been able to go this far if I didn't." I replied honestly.

"Well, I guess this settles the technical side of things then." Sawa-chan said, giving me a sheet of paper, "What's left would be to actually practice for this show… and to make it the best damn show ever."

I took the sheet of paper then saw that it was the lyrics sheet of Ui's song – the one we were going to cover. We had already been given a copy earlier on, so I didn't know why Sawa-chan was giving us another one.

"Take a closer look, Tainaka-kun." Sawa-chan said, "You'll find something quite familiar on that paper. I figured it might help Okaeri prepare."

Something familiar? Prodded by Sawa-chan's words, I gave the paper a second look. True enough, there were chords written alongside the lyrics and small notes neatly penned on the sides, all of which were of Ui's handwriting.

My heart raced as I went over everything she had written on the page. The tempo, the progressions and everything else were mentioned in those notes of hers. It was almost as if she had written how she had envisioned the song would play out if it were performed by a band. Without a doubt, this was the missing piece.

Ui, wait for us. We'll make sure your dreams… no, our dreams, become reality.

* * *

December 13th, the day of Ui Hirasawa's debut concert. Mr. Kashiwara sat in the elevated box reserved for VIP's and was amazed by the turnout for the shows lined up for the day. In all honesty, Mr. Kashiwara had only expected about a thousand people or two thousand at most, but the attendance exceeded the ten thousands that day. There had been a lot of hype build around Ui Hirasawa's concert as it was the topic of entertainment news in all media for the past week, so he simply attributed the excellent turnout to that. The prestige of the world-renowned Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra may have had a hand in that too, but he didn't give it enough credit.

A little while later, Mr. Ran of Platinum Group found himself headed for the box seat where Mr. Kashiwara was. The smirk on Kashiwara's face made Mr. Ran uneasy, especially since he had believed that December the 13th would mark the demise of Kashiwara Records. The turnout for the shows lined up for the day however was enough to dispel that fantasy and to hurt him back with 10% interest. As a matter of fact, this concert would mark the start of the golden age of Kashiwara Records, but it wouldn't be for reasons either of these two men perceived.

Shoichi Yagihara watched the egos of the two men in combat for a while from the Budokan's audio-visual control room before turning his attention to the stage.

"Sho-kun." One of the technicians called out to him, "It's time."

"Open the curtain then." Yagihara replied, "Open the curtains! The greatest show we've seen in a while is about to begin!"

**To Be Continued**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The Full Court Press! series (TO!S!, Snowbanks, FCP!) has really been one of my favorites fics to write and I've enjoyed every moment of it. However, it saddens me to inform you that this series may soon be coming to a close. This would mark the very first 'novel-length' story I've made and completed as well as the first series I completed, but it will also probably be the last large project I will undertake.

It's been a good run, but there are lots of things going on here in real life and I'll be attending to them more and more in the future. That doesn't mean I'll totally disappear though, expect me to come back with an occasional one shot, parody or collaboration (like the one Kirino and I have in store, *nudge, nudge*). That's all for now, and I promise Chapter 32 will be finished soon!


	32. To Make A Dream Come True, Finale

**Author's Notes:** After almost a month of writing and development, Chapter 32 - the finale of Full Court Press, is finally here! Thank you to everyone who had supported me throughout this journey, especially '11133322' and 'Kirino' - I wouldn't have been able to do this without your help! Just a reminder, song links can be found in my profile and disclaimers have already been invoked in the earlier chapters. Also, this chapter is very long. Taking breaks and having some drinks or snacks are recommended. That is all for now! Here it is, enjoy the (Tiro) Finale*!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Chapter 32**

"_Good afternoon Tokyo! Welcome to our show! It's Monday, December the 12__th__ and the Finals exam season is now but a memory for you folks in school. That means Winter Break is now in full swing!_

_Do you already have plans for the Christmas season? Are you travelling? Are you hanging out with friends? Are you going to watch a Winter-performance concert in the Metro? Well then, worry not folks – you've come to the right place! Major concerts, international band tours in the city, events, artist news and an insider view of the latest gossip! We've got it all here on Radio Tokyo! Be back with you after a word from our sponsors!_"

[Advertisements]

[This program is brought to you by Ran Holdings Ltd, QB Defense Contractors and Thermodynamic Energy Technologies Inc – affiliates of the Platinum Group of Companies. Platinum profits, guaranteed! Sign a contract with us and build the brighter future you've always dreamed of today!]

[You've seen her on BookFace videos. You've loved her songs. This Winter, she comes to you from the United States of America Live at the Budokan! She is the symbolic artist of our time, Becky Black*! In cooperation with ARM* Music Factory, Ran Holdings Ltd brings the Black Plague to Tokyo and tickets are on sale now! Hurry before it's too late!]

"_And we're back on Radio Tokyo – the metro's finest. Right, so, yeah, America's Becky Black tickets coming on sale very soon as everyone's favorite pop star comes to Tokyo for a night, but we'll talk more about that later._

_So, onwards with the afternoon grapevine. The Kashiwara Records label marathon at the Budokan continues tomorrow with the performance of the newest artist in their roster – Ms. Ui Hirasawa from Osaka. The dramatic breakaway of Kashiwara Records from the Platinum Group of Companies earlier this week (dumbasses) aside, Kashiwara Records hasn't had a very good batting average with its Budokan performances and speculations about tomorrow's performance are widespread and dismal._

_The best performance they had fielded had come from one of their lesser known artists and was fairly good at best and average for the most part. The rest of their performances, including their trump card band that had placed 3__rd__ at the Natsufest polls earlier this summer, were, I quote, 'Lifeless tripe that deserves to be thrown onto and trampled upon on the street!' Harsh words from the critics (very true though), but a whole lot of people seem to agree with those reviews._

_By the way folks, while we're on the topic of Ms. Hirasawa's concert, the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra (what… seriously?) will be opening for Ms. Hirasawa… (bah, but who cares? Who listens to Classical anyways?) Unusual… but it's still an opening act, I guess._

_Now then, since Ms. Hirasawa's debut performance will be tomorrow night, let me ask you folks this question - How do you think her performance will be? Call us now at the station and share with us your thoughts!_

_Ah, we have a caller already. Welcome to the show!"_

"_Hello, Radio Tokyo."_

"_And hello to you caller! Where might you be calling from?"_

"_Tokyo, of course."_

"_Good, good! So then, you know the question. How do you think Ms. Hirasawa's debut performance will go down? Poorly, perchance?"_

"_No, no. I don't think so. I've heard Hirasawa-chan's singing before in the Natsufest videos and a friend of mine saw her perform live with Okaeri at Nagoya. She's a very talented singer, mind you, so I have pretty high hopes for her. I'm sure she will…"_

The subtle sound of a knob being pulled could then be heard slightly and the voice of the caller proportionally disappeared.

"_Hello, caller? Hello? Oh dear, we seem to have lost contact with our first caller (hehe), so we weren't really able to get his outlook on the concert. Too bad, huh? Let's take another caller then… Hello there, caller #2!"_

"_Radio Tokyo! OH MY GOSH! I'm on NATIONAL RADIO! Woo~!"_

"_Yes you are, miss. You're here to share your thoughts on Ms. Hirasawa's upcoming concert, no?"_

"_Yes I am, and it will be terrible! Terrible, I tell you! Gosh… first of all, we all know Kashiwara Records sucks!"_

"_Right you are, sister!"_

"_Yeah, and that Ui girl may have the talent, but she doesn't have that star quality. Oh my gosh, I know I'm referring to Americans here, but people like $heka* and Bieber* are waaaaay better than her. Ohmygosh! And Becky Black too – she is the shining symbol of music in our time! Look at them, they're all so hot! Kya~ I love it! Plus, how could you NOT like 'Friday'?"_

"_Everyone loves 'Friday', caller! I love it (since it pays the bills when I play it, but damn, that was a bad song) too, you know!"_

"_Right, Radio Tokyo. But Ui? Ui is just meh. She sings, like, classical style or whatever, and she used to be part of a rock band? Belle Ame* is the ONLY good rock band and no other band can replace them. Hokago Turd Time and Oh-crappy can go take a hike!"_

"_I never really liked those bands either, caller (though I admit, those Osaka bands are pretty damn good), so yes. Does that mean you think…"_

"_I think Ui's concert will be a total disaster, and she totally had it coming! She should know her place! She's not pretty enough to be in the music industry."_

"_Thank you for your constructive and reasonable outlook caller, it is appreciated!"_

"_Totally!"_

"_And it seems the general consensus of the people is just that… Ms. Hirasawa's concert may just go down in history as one of the worst ever. There's nothing we can do about that though, folks. I even have a feeling no one will watch that stink fest. Whether we ought to chalk it up to Kashiwara Record's bad luck or the poor taste and style of Ms. Hirasawa, I'll leave it up to you folks. Without a doubt… huh? We have a third caller so quickly. Let's see what our caller thinks about…"_

"_WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS SHOW?"_

The shouting of the second caller was so loud, that the radio host fell from his seat startled.

"_Whoa… what the? Who the hell is this?"_

"_Natsuki Shinohara of the Western Osaka District Newspaper, calling straight from Osaka. I'm here to break your oppressive bourgeoisie censorship, Radio Tokyo!"_

"_Is that so… let me just get back to the sound board and adjust the volume here a little bit and…"_

"_STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU CAPITALIST PIG! Fade me out or drop my call and I will have COMRADE LENIN AND TROTSKY RISE UP FROM THE GRAVES and have you and your lackeys sent STRAIGHT TO SIBERIA!"_

"_Ungh…"_

"_Damn, you're worse than Stalin* – and that's coming from a socialist! Bah, anyways… The question is how I think Ui-chan's concert will go down, right? Well, let me tell you this. It will not be what any of you will expect. It can very well be among the greatest local concerts to be fielded in the Budokan, just like the legendary performances there from the past."_

"_How exactly can you say that, caller? What the hell is so different about Ms. Hirasawa that compels you to guess something like that?"_

"_I'm not guessing. I know her. That girl has an honest dream, a love for music, a heart stronger than any of today's 'artists' and a… family that loves her."_

The girl then took the silence of the radio host as a sign of victory.

"_So now, my comrades… erm, friends there in Tokyo. Whether you be capitalist or socialist, I'm not asking you to like Ui Hirasawa for the sake of liking her. I want you all to give her music a chance. I want you all to listen to her and to judge her by her __music__ rather than by the __intrigues__ surrounding her and those __pointless standards__ pop culture pollutes the music industry with. She is not a fame-hungry celebrity who tries to be what she is not… nor does she do this for the money; she is a __musician__ – the sort of musician we need more of._

_Once again you listeners out there, Ui Hirasawa's concert is tomorrow on the 13__th__ at 8PM with the opening show at a quarter past six! Thank you, and good bye!"_

* * *

Natsuki dropped the phone call then turned to the members of the Western Osaka District Newspaper who had watched her as she spoke. The editor-in-chief looked at her with his jaw dropped, his expression shared by the other columnists in the district newspaper office. Amazed by what she had done, the editor's hands came together and unwittingly started a slow clap. The rest of the office followed thunderously and the leftist columnist swelled with pride, humming the tune of 'Solidarity Forever'.

"And that is how it's done." Francis said, giving her upperclassman a standing ovation, "That'll shake those bastards up for sure!"

"Hopefully." Natsuki said happily, "But I still have a lot of work to do. Tomorrow's Morning Special is in the pipeline after all, and we're bound to get a few calls of complaint from Platinum Group sometime soon. It will be pleasing to the ears, like the sound of dying scream of an enemy of the Party!"

"Just don't kill anyone, senpai. A Kalashnikov in your hands is a scary idea." Francis laughed, "Speaking of parties, I assume you won't make it to Satoshi's tonight."

"Sadly, no. You should still go, however. Tell him and your friends that I wish you all well" Natsuki replied. She then flashed him her ticket to Ui's concert. "… Oh, and say that we'll all see them tomorrow at the Budokan too!"

"Will do, senpai. I'll tell him about what you told that Radio Tokyo dude too!" Francis nodded, "I'm sure Satoshi would have loved to have a chance to share his thoughts on that radio show, eh?"

"I'd appreciate his help in defending Hirasawa-san, but knowing that kid's severe potty mouth, I'd have a subpoena or two to deal with too." Natsuki said, already overwhelmed by the thought of Satoshi reacting to the radio show, "If he heard that host talk shit about Ui, Tainaka-kun will unleash verbal hell."

"He probably would, cuss words aplenty. I'll leave that part out of my anecdote later!" Francis laughed "So I'm off then. Kick some ass while we're out, senpai!"

"You don't have to tell me that, comrade." Natsuki said with a wink, "Socialists always kick ass!"

With that, Francis took his leave then headed out of the small district newspaper office. He drew his coat from the coat rack then peered through the building's glass doors.

"Already snowing again, huh." The half-Canadian said as he looked up to the grey heavens, "Brings back memories."

A moment later, a small shuttle bus stopped in front of the office with the paint job of a Kyoto bus depot. The furthest side door opened and a girl wearing a white winter coat and a feathered beret* revealed herself to Francis. A fond smile was quick to break out on his face and he pushed open the glass doors that separated them.

Their eyes met and stayed locked on each other as Francis approached the entrance of the bus. The short distance he had to walk seemed pleasantly endless as the magical aura of the girl drew him closer. The beauty he saw before him made his heart stop, as if a flintlock had shot straight through it. When she was within arm's reach, Francis then spoke in a dramatic tone.

"I have signed no contract, but I see my wish has already been granted."

The girl then closed her eyes and blushed smiling. She looked as if she was savoring something sweet and Francis felt like he was on top of the world.

A suppressed chuckle coming from further down the bus broke his bliss – it was his sister Jun.

To Francis' horror, Tsumugi wasn't the only passenger of the bus. Aside from his sister, Nodoka Manabe, Sawako Yamanaka and Azusa Nakano were also there in the bus – all of them had clearly seen and heard him speak his love struck words. Even the bus driver was a little uneasy, hearing those lines spoken so close to him. Knowing that, he started to feel a little bit embarrassed. When Tsumugi held his hand though and smiled at him, his embarrassment vanished.

"Let's go, guys." Francis then said, his composure now restored, "We have a party to attend!"

The doors of the bus closed with the hiss of hydraulics and the large vehicle slowly started to move. Holding on to each other, Francis and Tsumugi kept their balance and walked down the aisle of the bus to find themselves some seats with the others.

"Hey, Jun." Francis then said, whispering to his sister as they passed her by, "Remember what you told me over the phone back in Montreal?"

"I said a lot of things over the phone to you back in Montreal." Jun groaned. After a moment of thought, she then smiled. "But, I think I know what you're talking about."

Jun had known about her brother's budding feelings for the pianist the moment her brother had told her about 'an interesting companion' he had met on the train to Narita Airport. Jun would later tell him that the fond way he spoke about Tsumugi and the sheer number of times he mentions Tsumugi easily gave him away. Francis was quick to deny such feelings then and Jun teased him, saying that she would enjoy herself when the Tsumugi and Francis started going out. In a sense, Jun had predicted this outcome and the enamored violinist was more than happy to admit his sister's victory.

"Yep." Francis nodded, "So you can go have as jolly a good time as you want and… thanks for knocking some sense into me."

"No problem." Jun said happily, "But please do find a seat soon. I'm reaaaaaly tempted to play a wedding march for the happy couple walking down the aisle right now."

"Oy, oy. Stop predicting these things! I still want to finish my studies!" Francis shushed, ruffling his sister's hair as he and Tsumugi walked on by, "In its own time, Jun. In its own time."

The couple found their seats and bus then rumbled on through the snowy roads, headed for the Tainaka household – its last stop before its long distance trip to the Japanese capital. It was also the last time they and the rest of the Light Music Club would be able to savor the laid-back lifestyle before the greatest battle of their lives begins.

* * *

Later that night, at the front porch of the Tainaka household…

"So…" My sister said as we sat there at the porch, "Tonight's the night…"

"Yeah…" I replied, my breath fogging up before me in the cold December air "Our last chance to turn back."

Evening had visited the Western Osaka District fairly early that Monday and the light snow fell from the heavens without any signs of it stopping soon. A bus that apparently was loaned by Kotobuki Corp from a contact in Kyoto sat parked beyond our gates. Its roof was slowly starting to get caked in snow while its driver had gone off to the convenience store to buy a pack of smokes.

The snow had accumulated in the roofs of the nearby houses and in our lawn as well – it hadn't snowed this much in recent memory. Had Ritsu and I been in better spirits, we would probably have started building a snowman or snow forts, pelting each other with snowballs for the heck of it. But alas, our minds were too preoccupied for us to even think of stand from where we sat. We had been sitting there for a while now, silent.

Coming from the house, the sound of merriment and cheer was audible. Dinner was still being prepared by Mom, Francis and Yui-nee, so the rest of the members of the Light Music Club plus Sawa-chan and Manabe-senpai were inside having fun. My sister and I were with them not too long ago, but I had excused myself for a while… and my sister naturally followed.

It was only supposed to be me sitting out there in the patio, really. I headed off, sat here with my shoes in the snow and stayed put silently. Anxiety had been gripping my heart for quite a long time now, building up as the days and months passed by. All the crazy things that have happened around me these past two years topped off with the boldest stunt in Light Music Club history we were about to launch summoned an anxiety that compounded into a burden… a burden that was starting to get too much to bear.

I've had a policy of facing all of my problems with a confident smirk, snarking to calm myself down or to make me feel as if I was in control of things. On the eve before the grand battle, that confidence had all but waned.

I couldn't bear to face the Light Music Club in this state, let alone Ui. I walked out to try to gather my thoughts, but to no avail for the most part. Then, my sister made her presence known, speaking some familiar lines.

"I guess we really are siblings." My sister said, taking a seat next to me, "Our impulses under stress are similar."

Those were my thoughts exactly, but I didn't feel like admiring my sister's perception much that night. I didn't say a word. We sat together, sharing a moment of silence as if acknowledging the death of something we didn't know about. It then became obvious that we were under the weather.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow night?" She asked, breaking the minutes-long silence we never really wanted to share. "This Budokan thing is pretty risky."

"No I'm not." I lied defensively, turning away from her and folding my arms, "I don't have time to be nervous. I'm the leader of Okaeri, after all, just like you being the leader of the Hokago Tea Time."

"C'mon, Satoshi." Ritsu prodded, "Be honest with yourself. Hiding it like this won't really do you any good."

She then embraced her knees, leaned forward then said,

"I'm the leader of the Hokago Tea Time, alright… but I am _plenty_ nervous. I'm so nervous… I just want to call this insane invasion off and sleep in tomorrow."

Ritsu and I had shared a conversation of a similar nature back in the Winter Music Festival. The two of us had retreated to a spot near the stage as we tried to psyche ourselves up for our performances. Back then, we had felt great anxiety to finally perform on the stage. This night, our feelings seemed to be more on the lines of uncertainty of the future.

"You're joking… right?" I replied, leaning sideways onto a snowy column, "You? I know you'd love to sleep in any day, but being genuinely nervous? I've always admired you for your untarnished resolve! Don't say things like that… you'll rattle my faith there, sis."

"What's this…?" Ritsu then said, in a tone I wasn't very familiar with, "Even I have the right to feel nervous too, Satoshi-kun. After all, I'm a human being."

My compliment had backfired and the cryptic tone of her words was quick to silence me. The air between us became heavy all of the sudden and the two of us noticed it easily. She took a deep breath and apologized for her puzzling tone. She then took my slightly awkward expression as a hesitant acceptance and proceeded to say what she had meant to say.

"We Tainakas are natural born leaders. That's what we always said, right, Satoshi-kun?" Ritsu said, her eyes now turned skywards, "We lead those who choose to follow us without any semblance of fear in our faces… but is fear also truly absent in our hearts?"

It was a question I could have answered easily – yes or no. I had a good guess as to what the answer was, but didn't dare utter it. I couldn't have answered it then even if I wanted to… so my sister answered it for me.

"I've been afraid, Satoshi-kun… afraid for he longest time." She said, watching the gray clouds in their ever chaotic dance, "Telling myself and everyone else that I am not afraid can only go so far… but the truth will come back to get you sooner or later. It's no use denying it…"

Just as I thought… her answer was just like mine.

"Satoshi-kun." She continued, "Remember that day when I sent you off to replace me at the Cultural Festival?"

"How could I forget something like that, sis?" I asked, not sure whether I should laugh at the follies of that day or to be more critical about it.

"Believe me or not, I was pretty damn scared then. I was on edge the moment you left the room, wondering about a myriad of things that wouldn't give me peace.

'Would Satoshi-kun perform alright?' 'Will his disguise work?' 'Will the girls accept him if it doesn't?' and 'Will he be lonely there, all by himself?' I asked myself these things repeatedly until you came back home. It was only when I saw that smile on your face that those questions were answered and when I finally felt at ease."

Is that so? I always used to think that she spent that whole day laughing her butt off or something like that. I had always seen my sister Ritsu as an impregnable fortress of confidence and cheer imbued with a good (or bad) dose of mischief. The truth however is that behind those castle walls, she was as nervous a wreck as I was.

Leaders aren't meant to be seen with fear, after all, so we had our reasons to mask them. She hid her fears with beaming grins and laughter and I hid mine with my snarking, nonchalance and a bad dose of apathy. I thought I was the only one putting up that farce and my sister vice versa, but we both had the lingering feeling that we may not have been the only ones. We just didn't pay enough attention to it at the time.

"The hardest thing about being a Tainaka is that we have to be seen as strong, fearless people." My sister continued, "At the same time, we are afraid of slipping up and being seen as weak or afraid. It's ironic, really, that a fearless person's bane is fear itself."

"Well, what can you do?" I said, a little warmer now towards her concept. Looking back at everything that had happened thus far, I couldn't agree with her more. "People look up to us… I look up to you. It can't be helped – leadership in itself is a curse. We have responsibilities to shoulder and expectations to live up to. Fall once and it's all over."

"Wrong." My sister then corrected with a slightly brighter tone than earlier. "Fall once and stay down, then it's definitely over. Falling then getting back up again is a different story."

"Nee-chan…"

"Fear and falter are something we all have to accept – even leaders like us." She continued with regaining confidence, "It's what we do to defeat that fear and when we falter that counts. That's what makes us true leaders.

We aren't expected to have no fear or to be absof*ckinglutely perfect since, frankly, that's impossible. To show that we have the determination and resolve to face life fearlessly regardless of the odds… now isn't that something better to show instead?"

"Hmph." I hummed with amusement, "You and your smooth speeches – you never fail to impress me!"

"I meant everything I said back there, though, Satoshi."

"I know, sis. I know. I meant what I said too."

"Thanks." Ritsu said with delight, "So let me ask you again – are you nervous about tomorrow night? There's a huge difference between hiding from fear and fighting it."

"Damn straight, I am!" I replied, "But that's not going to stop me from getting in that bus and riding into Tokyo!"

I then pointed back into the house with my thumb where everyone else was and said.

"Plus, with a team as good as the one we have on our side, we'll be prepared for freaking Walpurgis Night*! I'm pretty sure Platinum Group and Kashiwara Records don't have witches or familiars in their defenses, so I'm not overly concerned."

"Haha, good job, kid." Ritsu said happily. Before she could say anything else, I turned to her and wrapped my arms around her tightly.

"I love you, nee-chan!"

"Hehe…" Ritsu chuckled, "I see that the cute young boy who missed his nee-chan when she went to school is still alive in you."

She them embraced me back, kissed my forehead and whispered.

"Onee-chan loves you too, Satoshi-kun."

In that moment, I saw my sister and myself in our younger years holding each other here in the front porch. Here I was thinking that my sister Ritsu had stopped being sweet somewhere down the line. Boy was I wrong. Nothing has changed.

"Uwah~! I knew it!" An excitedly over-the-top voice then squealed from behind us, "Satoshi-kun is a siscon! Riichan is a brocon! Kya~!"

Terrorized by the amused voice, the two of us turned around and saw Yui there wearing an apron and holding a ladle with a smile on her face. She had come out to tell us that dinner had finally been served. Instead, she had caught us sharing a bit of a touching moment together… perfect timing, Yui-nee.

"Ehehe… brothers and sisters are supposed to love each other, right?" Ritsu said in defense of us both. "Jun and Suzuki-kun are kinda close, and you coddled Ui without end when she was here!"

For a moment, it seemed as if Ritsu's defense was working. However, a second voice would be the feather that broke the camel's back. It broke with a very, very crispy crunch.

"Fufufu~ Wincest." Mugi-senpai said with absolute delight. That word was more devastating than Akemi Homura's massive time-manipulating bombardment… or a Micheal Bay movie*. Trying to figure out what was going through her head that moment made my sister and I cringe. "Hehe, just kidding you two."

False alarm. Thank goodness… We would have been scarred for life. I would never have thought of siblings in the same way ever again… Hmm?

"Hey, hey!" Yui-nee said, rushing over to where Ritsu and I sat and embracing the two of us, "I want to be a part of this too!"

And thus, our other 'sibling' clamped us down. Ritsu and I had been meaning to get up now that there was dinner, but we stayed there held together by Yui-nee for a moment. And… do I smell onions?

"I helped make the onion soup tonight." Yui-nee said with pride, "C'mon! C'mon! I'm sure you two will love it!"

Mugi-senpai and Yui-nee then led us back to the kitchen where everybody was waiting for us. Indeed, Yui-nee was part of our family and so were the members of the Light Music Club… heck, and everyone who's supported us thus far. This is the family Ritsu and I will lead into battle tomorrow night. They are the reason we can believe that we can overcome our fears.

Will that be enough to overcome the Budokan's defenses though? We'll have to find out.

* * *

Back inside the house…

"Uwah~ I'm full." Yui hummed happily yet sleepily as she laid against the living room sofa, "Riichan, Satoshi-kun, can I sleep over tonight? I can sleep on this sofa right here."

She then rolled over to her side like a dog and closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep at a moment's notice. As adorable as she looked like that, this wasn't the time for her to sleep.

"Ep, ep! Not tonight, Yui." I refused, tapping the guitarist's shoulder repeatedly to rouse her from her split-second nap, "We still have to get ready for our trip and for tomorrow night. Remember – we're doing this for Ui."

"Of course!" Yui then growled with determination, her eyes showing no drowsiness of any sort, "Lead the way, boss!"

"Indeed, let's get down to business." I said, laying out a map of Tokyo and a blueprint of the Budokan on the living room coffee table.

We had seen these maps a few times before already, but I figured now would be a good time to go over them again. This was the night we were actually going to set off on our mission after all. When all is said and done, this is the last time we'll be able to go over this casually and with everyone on board.

"Nodoka." I said, turning to our Student Council President, "How are things going with the tickets?"

"All 750 free tickets were distributed to the students of Sakura-gakou and the Osaka West Public High School, Tainaka-san." Nodoka said, reading from a professional-sounding written report she had prepared for the night, "We've also gotten in contact with everyone else who had bought tickets for themselves including faculty and staff and organized the transportation and accommodation for them all."

"So we have about two thousand people going to Tokyo then, correct?" I asked, drawing from Nodoka's estimate from last week. "That's more or less the entire Sakura-gakou and Osaka West…"

"Actually, Tainaka-san, we have more people than that." Nodoka corrected with a pleasant tone, "We have had contact from many schools throughout the prefecture. None of them have as many concert goers as our two schools do, but they have significant enough numbers to justify sending them a small shuttle bus at least."

"Yes." Mugi added, joining in on our talk, "So the numbers we're looking at here would be about 3,500 in total from the Osaka prefecture, and another 1,000 from Kyoto, Nara and Shiga combined."

"Damn! That's a lot of people!" I gasped, "How were you able to get busses for all of them, Mugi?"

"We tapped into our contacts, of course." Mugi said with a smile, "Kotobuki Corp isn't in on the mass transportation industry, but we have allies throughout the Kansai region that are. If you take a look at that bus outside the house, you'll see it comes from a Kyoto bus depot."

Hmm… no wonder why it looked different from the other city busses I see every now and then. For a moment, I thought Kotobuki Corp had intentionally given the bus the Kyoto paintjob for infiltration purposes. It turned out to be a genuine Kyoto bus.

"If we're moving our audience and ourselves using busses from all over the Kansai region…" Mio then noted, "Then it'll make it harder to detect our movement."

"Precisely, Akiyama-san." Nodoka agreed, "If a convoy of Osaka busses rolled straight into Tokyo, we'd draw a lot of suspicion. Have many differently-marked busses arriving in Tokyo in varied intervals, and we'll be under the radar while in transit. You and the Osaka Philharmonic will arrive first and all the rest will follow. It'll all look like regular traffic."

"Riichan!" Yui then said with stars in her eyes, "This is starting to feel like a bank heist!"

"I know right?" I agreed laughing, "It's like Ocean's*…"

"Get your priorities straight, you two!" Mio roared, smacking the two of us lightly.

"Yes ma'am…" Yui and I moaned weakly

"So then…" Satoshi said, taking over for me for a while, "What exactly do we plan to do when we get there. We aren't going to hide in the bus or backstage for ten hours straight, are we?"

"Of course we won't, my friend." Francis assured, "The Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra has accommodations in a five star hotel before we go to the Budokan. Since the HTT and Okaeri are 'part' of the Orchestra that night, we get rooms for ourselves too."

The moment my brother Satoshi heard this, he clenched his fist victoriously and looked as happy as he could be. He had been hoping for something even a tiny bit better than the two-star hotel he and Okaeri had experienced in Nagoya, but a five-star upgrade seemed more than welcome. Come to think of it, I haven't been to a five-star hotel before – I probably ought to look forward to it! However, the more pressing matter was how we got our instruments and ultimately ourselves into the Budokan.

"The instruments will be brought in en masse along with the instruments of the Philharmonic." Sawa-chan said, "Shoichi-kun and Sarina-chan will have them stashed backstage for easy access. As for yourselves, I've prepared some disguises!"

Sawa-chan made us disguises? Knowing Sawa-chan's tendency to go beyond the confines of reason when it comes to clothing, I wasn't really sure leaving our disguises to her was much of a good idea. The way she looked at Francis and Satoshi as if she was taking their measurements didn't sit well with me or the boys either. Satoshi's 'eagerness' to wear my uniform back then must have made Sawa-chan's imagination run wild. However…

"This is an important event, so I don't have plans to screw it up." Sawa-chan told us right off the bat, "The Osaka Philharmonic has its dress code, so I got some dress and tuxedo templates from them and made clothes based on them for you all. You should give me more credit…"

"Ehehe… sorry about that, Sawa-chan." I apologized. It had become second nature for me to be defensive about anything that concerned both Sawa-chan and clothing at the same time. Looking at the relieved sighs of the other members of the Light Music Club; I saw that I wasn't the only one. "Putting that aside for now, could we perhaps have a look at them?"

"Well… about that." Sawa-chan said, scratching her head, "Long story short, the Osaka Philharmonic has it… and they're already in transit to Tokyo. You'll be able to see them and wear them when you check into the hotel though, I promise!"

Whoa, whoa… what! She expects us to go blind into this and just hope that our clothes fit us?

"The measurements are fine – I know all of your measurements." Sawa-chan then assured, "Even the boys!"

Satoshi and Suzuki-kun then paled, wondering how the hell Sawa-chan was able to get their measurements. If Sawa-chan could really figure out measurements by just looking at a person, I wouldn't know whether to call it a talent or an obsession. Some things are better left ambiguous.

"How will we know what we'll look like on stage?" Satoshi then asked, now panicking from the thought of repeating that fateful Cultural Festival performance all over again. I was planning to suggest letting Satoshi wear that old wig again, but he caught my wavelength and glared at me in a 'don't even think about it!' manner. Sheesh, I was only _thinking_ about joking!

"You and Francis will look dashing in your tuxedoes, Satoshi-kun!" Mugi intervened to calm us all down "We girls, on the other hand, will look very stunning! The templates the Orchestra lent Yamanaka-sensei are from our traveling series – our 'road game' attire, if you will. I can show you what it will look like."

She then pulled out her cellphone and opened up a picture for us to see – she chose the Philharmonic's San Francisco, 2011 group photo. Naturally, she zoomed it towards herself standing beside Francis. Their clothes seemed pretty high end and seemed fairly easy to move around in – maybe I can keep mine after the performance for good measure.

"Hey, sis." Satoshi then whispered to me, "Look at that photo again. If those two stood a little closer together and if Mugi-senpai had a bouquet, it might pass for a wedding photo!"

Damn! It does! Good call, Satoshi. I'll point it out to them later in the bus. Hehe.

"That settles it for this meeting then." I said, "All we have to do now is get on that bus and face our destiny. Budokan or bust!"

Our meeting concluded and our guests started making their way towards the bus parked inside, leaving me and my brother alone with our parents in the dining room. Unlike Sawa-chan and our friends, our parents didn't share our enthusiasm to bus into Tokyo and crash the party, so to speak. They, mom especially so, were quite worried and we couldn't blame them. Parents will always worry about their children, after all.

"Ritsu… Satoshi…" Mom said, laying a hand on each of our shoulders, "I know trying to talk you two out of this now wouldn't change your minds in the slightest, but please do be careful out there."

"We will." Satoshi and I said at the same time.

"And Satoshi-kun… Remember what we talked about way back when." Dad said with a slightly more confident voice, "When it comes to relationships, you have to give it your all. Maintain your feelings, be sweet to her, listen to her, help her with her problems… and most importantly…"

"Defend her." Satoshi said, continuing dad's sentence for him, "That's why I'm heading out tonight with everyone… I'm showing her how much I love her."

Oh Satoshi-kun, how mushy have you become because of that girl? He didn't even bother to defend himself from my questioning raised eyebrow.

"Let's go, sis." He then said, "We still have to load our things, after all."

The two of us then bid our parents farewell, took our luggage and our dismantled drum set then stuffed them into the bus' cargo hold. Everyone else's things were already there, guitars, basses and a violin – the complete roster of the Light Music Club's instruments save for our drum set and two guitars.

After stuffing our luggage and the drum set into the hold, we saw Yui jogging towards us from the direction of her house. Her messy brown hair had gathered countless flakes of snow and she bore two guitars on her shoulders.

"I almost forgot to bring Tele." Yui said, trying to catch her breath, "Tele must miss Ui-chan by now, huh?"

She then handed Satoshi Tele's case and the two of them put the guitars in along with the other instruments. The three of us and the driver then shut the cargo hold doors.

"Alright then, we've waited long enough. Let's get this show on the road!"

Thus, the bus drove into the night. There was no turning back now.

* * *

The next morning in Tokyo…

The directors of the Platinum Group met together at the grand conference room of the grand conglomerate's Headquarters building. The sun had only started to shine over the Tokyo skyline and the Japanese capital had only started to rouse from its slumber, but the people gathered in the board room that morning were already wide awake, albeit in poor spirits. Nearly every seat in the room was filled with a cowering man or woman save for the raging Mr. Ran and the empty seat that used to be Mr. Kashiwara's.

Mr. Ran and the Platinum Group had expected the turnout Ui's concert that evening to be subpar at best. Records of ticket sales from the previous two weeks showed that that would indeed be the case. However, that morning, Mr. Ran had been informed that their prediction was off – way off. The Budokan was meant to hold around 10,000 people on a standard concert setup. Ticket sales have shown that nearly half of the seats had been bought out by, as he would then learn, schools from all over the Kansai area. To add insult to injury, the rest of the seats were bought off by residents of the Tokyo Metropolis. In short, Ui's concert was going to be a full house.

"ALL OF YOU ARE USELESS!" Mr. Ran cried at the directors, slamming his fists onto the board table, "THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!"

The already frightened Directors of the board, jumped up from their seats and found themselves in a cold sweat – all but one Director. He was the CEO of the QB* Defense Contractors Incorporated and had kept an eerie calm throughout Mr. Ran's furious outburst. It was as if he felt no fear – maybe no emotion at all*.

"Please do not be angry, sir. You're disturbing the entropy of the universe." The director from QB Contractors advised calmly, "Did you not know beforehand that Ms. Hirasawa was quite popular? Her year with Okaeri and her affiliation with Osaka's Hokago Tea Time were all in her favor. Her inherent talent and passion only doubled that. Mr. Kashiwara was wise in asking her to contract with his company."

"This can't be happening…" Mr. Ran gasped, "Kashiwara himself said that his artists were only a means to an end – cash cows to be milked until their popularity runs out. Now, he's acting like he actually believes in them or something… believes in what, exactly?"

The directors then started talking amongst themselves but couldn't come up with an answer to Ran's question. Easily, he was dissatisfied with their silence. Despite having one of the most powerful and influential companies in Japan and a net worth that put him high up on the Forbes list, he was jealous of this event.

"I believe I have a solution to your dilemma, Mr. Ran." The CEO of QB Contractors suggested, "My Company has the manpower to do your bidding. All you need to do is sign a service contract with me."

The CEO then conjured up a sheet of paper from his briefcase and passed it to the head of Platinum Group. Mr. Ran sank into his seat as he read through the contract, considering the offer of the CEO with serious contemplation. A devilish smirk then grew on his face and he promptly penned his signature. All the while, the director of QB Contractors watched with a strange smile.

"Do it."

An army of suits and shades were then mobilized by the Platinum group of companies to beef up the security of the Budokan. All of them were briefed on the identity of the members of the Light Music Club and were ordered to apprehend them on sight. Most importantly, they were under the command of Mr. Ran himself. The presence of the newly mobilized army in the Budokan that early evening puzzled Mr. Kashiwara.

"What's this all of the sudden?" Mr. Kashiwara then asked as Mr. Ran sat beside him in the elevated VIP box in the Budokan, "I thought Kashiwara Records had nothing to do with Platinum Group anymore. Why give me an extra troupe of guards now?"

"Well, Kashiwara, did you anticipate this sort of turnout at all?" Mr. Ran asked, pointing to the sold-out Budokan stadium, "If not, then you too have the right to be suspicious. Those Kotobuki Corp folks are here, I can feel it."

"Will I owe you anything for this?" Mr. Kashiwara asked, "Kashiwara Records doesn't have any significant disposable income, in case you're planning to mooch more out of me – this concert is life or death for us."

"No… this is merely a sign of goodwill." Mr. Ran replied with odd warmth, "I personally do not wish there to be any bad blood between us and our companies."

The way Mr. Ran tried to act kind however drew a little bit of suspicion from Mr. Kashiwara, but not enough for him to shun his former colleague and boss. His neutrality to Mr. Ran however would quickly be tested.

The curtains rose and the members of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra bowed to the large audience. Respectful applause greeted them and they proceeded to prepare to play their instruments. Minutes later, a guard came rushing to the VIP box and whispered something to Mr. Ran. The head of Platinum Group was then thoroughly delighted.

* * *

At the back stage of the Budokan Arena, the non-orchestra members of the Light Music Club lay in hiding, wearing the disguises prepared for them by Sawako Yamanaka. Just as they had been promised, their clothes fit and their instruments were stashed at the wings and were well-hidden. They had blended in perfectly with the Philharmonic on their way into the arena. Now that they had managed to get to their designated hiding spot, all they had to do was to wait out the Osaka Philharmonic's concerto until it slowly transitions into their guerilla live performance.

Everything had gone smoothly until that point save for a few details. There were over twice as many guards patrolling the area than they had anticipated and Francis Suzuki and Tsumugi Kotobuki didn't appear immediately on stage with the Osaka Philharmonic.

"Francis and Mugi-senpai sure are taking their time…" Satoshi noted, taking a peek at the stage from the wings, "Now's not the time to go on a date… Don't they know their show is about to start?"

"Hey…" Mio Akiyama whispered, "Do you think they… got caught?"

"Those two are recognized members of the Osaka Philharmonic." Ritsu reassured, "They have a permit to perform here tonight so they're immune from arrest for just being here. Plus, it's only me and Satoshi who are on the blacklist. Sarina-chan and Yagihara-san assured us that those were the orders of Mr. Kashiwara's troops."

"Still…" Mio argued, "Look… Mr. Kotobuki is starting to look worried already. Something must be going on."

The countenances of the Tainaka siblings then soured as they unwillingly considered the possibility of Mio's fears being true. Amidst these fears, the orchestra began its concerto. Mrs. Kotobuki abandoned her viola to man the grand piano, a senior member of the strings section took over for Francis and Mr. Kotobuki conducted as if nothing had happened.

Less than five minutes into the concerto, Mr. Kotobuki gave a strange hand signal to the orchestra. Some of them were startled at first, not expecting their maestro to give them that order, but they kept on playing. Once he knew that his order had been received, Mr. Kotobuki walked with calm dignity to the wings and disappeared into the backstage – all the while, the Orchestra played on.

* * *

"Tonight is the night, Hirasawa-san." Sarina-chan told me as we sat together in a dressing room at the Budokan, "It's your debut as a solo artist!"

It was a quarter past six in Tokyo and Sarina-chan stayed with me as a hairdresser worked on my hair and a make-up artist applied powder on my face. In an hour and a half, the once-in-a-lifetime Budokan performance that I had dreamed of for a long time was about to become a reality. However, I couldn't get myself to feel as excited about it as I would have wanted. Perhaps it was because the dream didn't turn out the way I saw it before.

I had dreamt about performing on the Budokan stage, yes… but I didn't dream about performing alone. I still remember that dream… me on the stage with Okaeri, facing the crowds and the bright lights together. Onee-chan and the HTT were backstage watching us and cheering for us, having had a chance to perform earlier on. What was about to happen tonight would be reminiscent of that dream but would be a much, much lonelier version of it than I would have liked.

Still, there are people who are counting on me to perform well tonight. Sarina-chan and Yagihara-san for instance… both of them believed I could put on a good show and I didn't want to disappoint them. And… and… that was all. Aside from those two, I am on my own here in the Budokan. After tonight's performance, that wouldn't matter anymore though. The moment I get off the stage, I'm taking the first train back to Osaka to set things right with everyone there.

"Hello, Hirasawa-san?" Sarina-chan then called, waving a hand in front of me, "You're spacing out. You've been spacing out a lot recently."

"Sorry…" I promptly apologized, "It's just that… today's an important day and all. There's a lot going through my head right now."

"Debuts are a really stressful thing, no doubt." Sarina-chan agreed, "The fact that there's so many guards running around tonight too doesn't really help."

"Maybe I should let off some steam." I said, coming up with an idea, "The Osaka Philharmonic is performing tonight. You know Suzuki-kun and Mugi-senpai, right?"

"I know them, yes."

"They're members of the Philharmonic – they'll be on stage tonight!" I told her, "I would really like it if I could at least see them perform and talk to them before my debut."

"I'd let you go and do that, Hirasawa-san." Sarina then grumbled, "These guards stationed outside your doors won't let you through."

"Why not?" I asked, quite disappointed with that revelation. "Mr. Kashiwara didn't ban me from going to see them too, did he?"

"My dad's guards would have allowed you to go as well." Sarina reassured, "But those guards outside right now are Platinum Group's troops. They arrived only this afternoon, strangely."

"Huh? So… these new guards are on different orders than Mr. Kashiwara's?"

"Basically, yes." Sarina agreed, "I don't know exactly how different their orders are, though. Plus, I've grown to be cautious in dealing with Mr. Ran after the cheap trick he pulled on us with the Budokan shares back then. That's why I can't trust them… what are they up to, perhaps?"

Hearing all of that, I was quite disappointed. Talking to some old friends would have done wonders for me at a time like this… seeing Satoshi and onee-chan here too would be… too much to ask for. Sarina-chan looked at me with worry then handed me a remote control.

"Those guards won't let you out of here until your performance…" Sarina said, "But that doesn't mean you won't get to see your friends perform. It's the best I can offer you."

"No, no." I said, calming down a bit, "I appreciate it very much – this will do for now."

After more than two months of not being in contact with any of them, seeing Suzuki-kun and Mugi-senpai on the television was a small, temporary yet acceptable consolation.

I turned on the television and tuned in to the internal Budokan channel to watch the Osaka Philharmonic perform. They were playing Mozart's 21st Concerto and were producing such a wonderful, tranquil sound. I couldn't have expected less from the fabled Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra – it looked like the perfect performance. However… Mugi-senpai and Suzuki-kun were nowhere to be found… and there was no conductor conducting the orchestra. That was strange…

A person then suddenly knocked on the door and opened it before waiting for a reply. It was Shoichi Yagihara who looked as if he had just seen something terrifying. He promptly beckoned Sarina to come with him, leaving me alone with the hairdresser and the makeup artist.

Something is wrong… I can feel it.

* * *

Meanwhile, in one of the unused rooms in the Budokan…

"Hold still, you punks!" A guard of the Platinum Group groaned, "You've been more trouble than you're worth, you know?

There in that room, two captives, Francis Suzuki and Tsumugi Kotobuki, were surrounded by Platinum Group guards and were handcuffed to upholstered seats. Struggle as they might the two could not release themselves from the shackles. Despite that, the two of them glared at the guard that had caught them who still had marks from his scuffle with the couple. The funny thing was, the guard that had cuffed them there still seemed fearful of the two.

The two had been walking together through one of the main hallways towards the backstage when they were caught. The guards of Mr. Kashiwara didn't pay any attention to them since they were members of the Osaka Philharmonic and it led the two to think that they were free to go around the Budokan leisurely. When one of the Platinum Group came along though, he didn't let them off so easily and halted them to detain them. Naturally, the two didn't go down without a fight.

In the course of their capture, the guard had been hockey-tackled into a wall by the half-Canadian and his face was on the receiving end of a series of straight hooks from the half-Finn girl. The guard they had nearly knocked senseless though was only one of the many additional guards stationed by the Platinum Group. When the battle became two-on-twenty and when batons were drawn, they were forced to surrender and they soon found themselves shackled in that room.

"I swear… if I only had a hockey stick on me…" Francis grumbled.

"We have to try to keep our calm… surely this will be resolved soon." Tsumugi whispered to her companion, "It's good enough that we weren't hurt and that they didn't stop the rest of the Philharmonic from performing… let it go."

True enough, the sound of the Osaka Philharmonic's rendition of Mozart's 21st Concerto could be heard coming from the doors of the room. Hearing that the concert had gone on without them had served as a sort of bittersweet relief for them.

"What do we do now?" Francis asked in a whisper as well, "Buy everyone else time to perform?"

"If it has to come to that, it will have to do." Tsumugi whispered back.

"Damn…" Francis groaned, "This was supposed to be my first performance as the head of the strings section!"

"And this would have been the first time we would have performed together after what happened last month." Tsumugi added, "I was really looking forward to it. You would have done well, my love."

"Mugi…"

"Are you two seriously being lovey-dovey in a situation like this?" The guard asked, puzzled by the sweet tone the two were speaking in.

Just as Francis was about to retort, the doors burst open and Mr. Ran arrived with Mr. Kashiwara and another contingent of guards. The two CEO's had been informed about the capture after the concerto had started and had rushed to the unused room in a heartbeat.

"I knew it…" Mr. Ran said with a cold, sadistic smile, "We have a rat problem."

"Ran… these two are members of the Osaka Philharmonic!" Mr. Kashiwara then said in a cautionary tone, "They ought to be on stage performing!"

"They may be members of the Philharmonic, but they are also members of those two Osaka bands you had sworn to keep out of the Budokan." Mr. Ran pointed out, "You should be happy that these two were caught before they could sabotage you, no?"

"No, no…" Mr. Kashiwara argued, "The Tainaka siblings are the only people we ought to catch…"

Mr. Ran didn't pay attention to his former colleague and pushed him aside to come face to face with the shackled orchestra members.

"You two are bandsmen, are you not?" He asked, staring at them as if wanting to destroy them, "Bandsmen who refuse to admit that the age of bands is over…"

"We are musicians, and that's all we intend to tell you." Francis replied, "Now, let us go. We have a concerto to rejoin."

"A concerto… or a guerilla live?" Mr. Ran asked sharply, "You and your like are here to sabotage Ms. Hirasawa's concert… to take her back with you to Osaka. Mr. Suzuki, you are the best friend of Mr. Tainaka… and you Ms. Kotobuki are the heiress of Kotobuki Corp for crying out loud! You're not just musicians, you two… you came here with a message."

"All musicians have a message to convey." Tsumugi countered, "The sort of musicians you, kind sir, seem to have become accustomed to would be those without any message – having traded their message for a fee. Those are not musicians. Those are mere contract employees."

"My daughter is right." A voice then said, joining in on the conversation. Everyone turned to the entrance of the room and Mr. Kotobuki was standing there and listening in. Beside him were Shoichi Yagihara and Sarina Kashiwara who also looked as if they agreed with Tsumugi's response.

"What the!" Mr. Kashiwara gasped, "If you're here, then…"

"The Orchestra is a very well-seasoned group. They can perform a concerto from start to finish without a conductor if I give them the order – that's how good they are." Mr. Kotobuki explained, "Now, I believe we have some negotiations to make – dear colleagues. My terms are simple. Release my daughter and my soon to be son-in-law and I won't press charges."

Being referred to as a future son-in-law then made Francis' mind go blank for a moment.

"Please be reasonable…" Sarina then pleaded to her father, "These two kids were here to perform tonight. They aren't causing any trouble – your guards and Mr. Ran's are!"

Mr. Kashiwara, already a little unsettled by the sudden arrest made by Mr. Ran's men was easily swayed by his daughter and promptly ordered the men to release the two. Outnumbered now, Mr. Ran sighed and asked his guards to remove the couple's cuffs.

"Tell me, though…" Mr. Kashiwara asked the two released captives, "What is the message you bring with you tonight?"

"We're here to show that good music still exists." Francis said.

His words struck a chord in Mr. Kashiwara's heart. Being a man who had seen the booms and busts of the Music Industry and the numerous disappointments that accompanied it, the message spoke to him more than he thought it would. Seeing youngsters so passionate and dedicated to their music reminded him of his earlier years. He entered the Music Industry hoping to revolutionize it with his company but had lost sight of it somewhere down the line – around the time he contracted with the Platinum Group.

"You're free to go now." Mr. Kashiwara said to them all, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you all."

"Wait a minute, runts." Mr. Ran hissed, stopping the orchestra members in their tracks "I'll have you know this, you lot. I know what your other friends look like and so do my guards. If we see any of them wandering about, don't expect us to let you or them off the hook again."

Without saying another word, Mr. Ran left with his contingent of suits and returned to his VIP box seat while Mr. Kotobuki returned to the stage with Francis and Tsumugi, already planning how to ease them back into the concerto.

"This isn't the sort of scenario we were expecting, you two." Mr. Kotobuki said in a cautionary tone as they walked, "Ran is gunning for you and your friends – are you sure you want to continue this?"

"Yes, father." Tsumugi assured, "I dedicated myself to this task the moment we left Osaka and so have everyone else."

"We started this invasion." Francis then added, "We'll all see it to the end."

"Fighting words, you two." Mr. Kotobuki said with a smile, "The future is in good hands. Now go fetch your violin, my boy, and let's show that the Osaka Philharmonic deserves some respect."

Francis nodded and he and Tsumugi headed over to the place where the instruments of the Light Music Club were stashed. The worried members of the Light Music Club were relieved to know that he and Tsumugi were released unharmed. He picked up his violin Fraulein and he and Tsumugi walked towards the bright lights of the stage.

They watched as Mr. Kotobuki walked back to his maestro post with the same air of dignified calm he had when he exited. He conducted the last few verses of the Concerto and it ended smoothly. Amazed applause filled the arena and Mr. Kotobuki smiled as he spied the irritated look in Mr. Ran's face in the distant VIP box. Turning his attention back to the orchestra, he called Francis and Tsumugi back to their original positions.

The violinist and the pianist then led the orchestra in their rendition of La Campanella. Their synchronization was perfect and the rapid, crisp sounds of Francis' violin were well complemented by the personalized chords and scales of Tsumugi's piano. The orchestra accompanied them, making the sound of the song swell beautifully and gently under the supervision of Mr. Kotobuki. The breaths of the audience were taken away as a pleasantly amazed silence prevailed over them.

The orchestra's First Movement of Shostakovich's Leningrad and Bach's Ave Maria after it captivated the audience as well. Mr. Ran was left to wonder why their music moved the people in that arena so. 'Was not electronica pop the only thing people listened to nowadays?' he asked himself. He couldn't understand what was taking place.

Towards the end of the Philharmonic's concert, the orchestra prepared to play its famous Canon in D. At this point, the Light Music Club, clad in the clothes resembling the Philharmonic's templates, started trickling onto the stage. Mio Akiyama and Azusa Nakano snuck onto the stage bearing an acoustic bass and an acoustic guitar respectively and joined in on the performance. Meanwhile, Satoshi and Ritsu prepared their drum set back stage and Yui and Jun readied the connections of the electric guitars and basses, all the while being supported by Shoichi Yagihara from the central control soundboard.

The second phase of the Philharmonic's show was about to begin.

* * *

Less than half an hour left before the performance of Ui Hirasawa, the debut artist watched the Philharmonic Orchestra give a heart-rending performance through the television screen mounted in the dressing room assigned to her. The wonderful music the Orchestra played together song after song were of a caliber incomparable to the songs she had seen performed on the Budokan stage earlier on.

The audience was a full house too and they were all enthralled by the Orchestra's skill and talent – even the Tokyo audience who had come there just to see the potentially successful debut of Ui had found themselves appreciating classical pieces. Then of course, the performers themselves were happy to play their music and believed in the beauty it held – something that touched Ui's heart deeply.

"Suzuki-kun and Mugi-senpai are amazing…" She said as she watched her two friends perform the classical pieces. There had been a lot of talk about the Philharmonic Orchestra's opening performance for her debut, especially on the one-sided Radio Tokyo, but Ui knew that this performance would prove the cynics wrong. The question on her mind at that point, though, was whether or not she could live up to the hype built up by the Philharmonic.

"You'll do fine." Sarina Kashiwara reassured her, having already returned to the dressing room earlier, "You've been through Natsufest before… and you even stole the show at the finale of Nagoya LIVE! You could pull off an amazing performance if you truly wanted to."

Sarina's reassurance however just puzzled Ui even further. Something deep within her constantly told her that she could and should do well in her performance, but the same feeling reminded her that she was only able to do well because everyone she loved had been at her side. Without them, she felt like she was unable to do anything.

Sitting there in the dressing room, she felt a loneliness reminiscent to the loneliness she had felt when she walked alone towards Sakura-gakou during the Cultural Festival pretending to be her sister. Applause then flowed from the television's speakers at the completion of the Philharmonic's prized Canon in D, but the now disheartened Ui couldn't get herself to watch.

Then, she started hearing something familiar. It started out with a few powerful introductory bars from the orchestra and had the full orchestra backing it, but she recognized the melody well. Moved by the nostalgia late into the song, she hummed to the tune then started singing softly.

"_Tomorrows, what will they hold?_

_Which colors will the future mold?_

_I know it's just a hope, since I really don't yet know…_

_But I believe."_

Turning her attention back to the television, she started making out some new familiar faces – Mio Akiyama with an acoustic bass, her friend Azusa Nakano with an acoustic guitar and…

"Satoshi-kun…"

Atop a rolling platform with clamps for brakes, the drum set of the Tainaka household sat and behind it was Satoshi Tainaka. In his position, he was still quite hidden from the audience, but not from the overhead camera. Her heart raced as she realized it truly was him and her happiness brought her to sing on.

"_Un, deux, trois. Always smiling, I will say oui!_

_To everyone I meet, I'll share with them the, words of my heart._

_Tomorrow and the day after that,_

_And over and beyond, I'll share my love with this world;_

_These words about love."_

It was an instrumental version of the first song of Okaeri and was masked well as yet another song by the Osaka Philharmonic, but people slowly started recognizing it. A supportive roar then came from a certain Sawako Yamanaka in the audience and the crowd soon realized that a new show was starting right under their noses.

The instrumental came to an end with the same enthusiastic cheering that greeted Okaeri and HTT concerts in the past and Okaeri set up to take the stage. Francis Suzuki handed Tsumugi his violin Fraulein and fetched his Fender Squier Stratocaster that was already amped. Azusa traded the acoustic guitar she had for her Fender Mustang and dragged a microphone stand with her to the stage. Jun Suzuki walked on stage with her SBV-500 bass at the ready. Then, Satoshi Tainaka removed the clamps of his platform, rolled the drum set into a more prominent spot then clamped it again.

Azusa looked at the audience of ten thousand from behind the microphone stand and smiled confidently. She took a deep breath and gave a very, very quick version of the usual MC.

"Budokan! We are Okaeri, here to perform our newest song – Natural Born Challengers! Lend us your ears… and thank you very much!"

Just like that, Okaeri's 'timeslot' began.

* * *

**Natural Born Challengers**

**Musicians: Azusa Nakano (Gt-1, Vo), Jun Suzuki (Ba), Satoshi Tainaka (Dr), Francis Suzuki (Gt-2), The Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra (Var.)**

* * *

"Azusa-chan is…" Ui mumbled to herself, watching as the band she heard had died was ready to perform at the Budokan stage with one of her closest friends at the helm. They would be playing a song Ui wasn't familiar with, so she felt a little apprehension about how it would turn out. She would be pleasantly surprised.

Azusa's voice was still a little rough, but there was passion in each and every syllable she sang. Her guitar playing was top-notch as always and Francis' rhythm guitar had improved a lot since Nagoya LIVE! Jun had broken free from her conservative way of playing the bass and now experimented around with her scales and enriched the tone of the bassline. The Orchestra as a whole filled in for what would have been Francis' violin portion and theirs was a grand sound that heightened the emotions of the song. All of this was held together by the lively beat that Satoshi laid down on the drum set, powerful yet gentle at the same time.

"So… they were doing alright after all." Ui thought, her troubled heart now very much relieved.

Despite her relief, the thundering sound of many men and women running through the Budokan's corridors could be heard from behind the dressing room walls. Little did Ui know that Mr. Ran's army was already on the move to capture the Light Music Club.

* * *

"I don't like the look of this, Yui…" Ritsu said, finding it hard to stay calm, "There's a lot of them – and they're going through our safe zone too."

Yui, who shared the club leader's anxiety, could only reply with an uncertain nod.

The drummer and the guitarist, the only two people left backstage during Okaeri's performance, heard Mr. Ran's platoon of suits encircling their position. Happy as they were to hear Okaeri own the stage, they had every reason to believe that their act would end earlier than expected.

Originally, their plan after Okaeri performed was for the HTT to enter and use their on-stage immunity to buy time for Satoshi to run towards the stage. Mr. Ran's troops however didn't respect Mr. Kashiwara's guidelines and seemed intent on catching the Light Music Club at all costs, even if it meant causing a disruption.

Okaeri finished _Natural Born Challengers_ and they, save for Azusa and Mio (who would trade her loaned acoustic bass for her Fender Precision), retreated to the wings so that the HTT can come on stage for their portion. Satoshi, still psyched up from their thrilling performance seemed ready to run off towards Ui's dressing room as they had planned. Yui and Ritsu's failure to budge from their spots and the sound of the approaching army however told Satoshi that things may not proceed according to plan.

"They're out there!" Yui said in a panicked voice, "They're coming for us – all of them!"

Satoshi was tempted to say something on the lines of 'get your act together, Yui-nee!' but he knew all too well that the Light Music Club will not be able to win in a struggle against the army of suits. Time for him and for Ritsu seemed to have ground to a halt.

"Guys…" Mio said, joining the stunned musicians in their post with a perplexed face, "The audience won't wait for us forever, you know."

Her words fell on deaf ears as the air of silent panic remained over them all.

"Is this how it ends?" Satoshi groaned, clenching his fists and beginning to lament the fate he perceived he would soon be tied to. "We just freaking started!"

"This isn't over yet, comrade." A voice then said. The musicians turned to its source and saw four people who had come in from a back entrance – Shoichi Yagihara, Natsuki Shinohara, Sawako Yamanaka and Nodoka Manabe.

"Nodoka-chan! Everyone else!" Yui cried, hugging her best friend, "You're here to get arrested with us too?"

"That's not exactly what we came here for." Nodoka replied, a little puzzled by Yui's thoughts, "We came here to help you guys out – that's what a good support team does, after all."

"There's an army of suits so large out there, you guys." Jun cautioned, "You're not planning on fighting them all by yourselves, are you?"

"Do you want to join us, then?" Natsuki said with a wink, "There's a 'break glass in case of an emergency' ax around here somewhere, you know."

"Senpai, please…" Francis groaned, "Don't kill anyone."

"I… if… using the ax will protect Ui…" a confused Yui muttered, "Then… then, I'll do it. It's just like… chopping onions, right?"

"The same goes for you, Yui-nee!" Satoshi added, "Jeez, how many potentially violent psychopaths do we know? Sawa-chan, say something to them!"

The teacher however just whistled innocently, practicing the hand movements usually done when wielding a switchblade. Satoshi and Ritsu thus took a mental note to take a little bit extra caution not to tick any of these three people off from thereon out.

"We will try to avoid fighting as much as possible." Yagihara reassured, "Besides… things out there going in our favor already."

"What do you mean by 'things out there'?" Ritsu asked

"It's hard a little hard to explain…" Yagihara hummed, "However, I promise you guys will not be in immediate danger. What you should all focus on now would be to keep the performance going – don't lose this supportive crowd!"

They all turned back to the stage and saw the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra ready to perform again and Tsumugi and Azusa beckoning the HTT to join them already.

"We'll leave it up to you guys then." Ritsu said. She then turned to Mio and Yui and started dragging them along with her. "Let's not keep this crowd waiting, my friends."

Francis too picked up his violin and tagged along with the troika back to the stage.

"What about you two?" Shoichi asked, "Staying here?"

"Someone has to keep watch over the backstage entrance – that'll be me." Jun said, "Satoshi-kun on the other hand will go with you four."

"You're headed for Ui-chan's dressing room, right?" Sawako asked, "That's quite a ways from here. And like you said, it will be crawling with guards."

"I've gone too far to back down now – we all have." Satoshi said, "I promised Ui that I would go to the moon and back just for her… a short sprint through ranks upon ranks of guards shouldn't be too much of a problem. How many are we looking at here, eighty?"

"No, just fifty-five." Yagihara corrected, "Let's just say we found some last-minute help. Are you ready, Mr. Tainaka?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Satoshi said, patting his cheeks with both hands to get psyched up even more, "Let's go."

With that, the five of them opened the backstage door then burst out into the corridor where a grand battle was being waged. All the while, the lively MC of Yui Hirasawa followed by the Orchestra-backed _Fuwa Fuwa Time_ was blasted through the entire arena's sound system – drowning out the sounds of the struggle. Sawako, Nodoka, Natsuki and Yagihara fanned out and Satoshi took the opportunity of the confusion to make a run for the dressing room.

* * *

Further down the corridors, away from the concentration of the fighting, a heated argument between Mr. Ran and Mr. Kashiwara was taking place. Mr. Kashiwara got wind of Mr. Ran's orders and promptly dragged him to the corridors to speak his mind.

"You interrupted my show once! Now you're planning to do it again!" Mr. Kashiwara shouted at Mr. Ran, "How could you? Were you planning this all along? Platinum Group won't get out of this unscathed!"

"But yes it will, you simple minded fool. Grease a few hands and history will change before your very eyes!" Mr. Ran laughed, "I can see it now. The papers will call it a shame that Kashiwara Records' saving grace performance was sabotaged by the Kotobuki Corp and their allies – right after it broke away from the Platinum Group too.

The shame will go to Kashiwara Records and the blame will be on Kotobuki Corp… and Platinum Group has everything to gain! Not only will we be able to annex Kashiwara Records again, against your will if necessary, Kotobuki Corp will be vulnerable to a hostile takeover!"

"So that's why you brought your guards…"

"Had you stayed with us," Mr. Ran said, "Things might have turned out differently... for your company at least. Come to think of it, it may not yet be too late to reverse the worst of what is to come."

Mr. Ran held out his hand and made his offer.

"Re-sign with the Platinum Group and I'll call this operation off. All I want are a 80% cut on Ms. Hirasawa's next five studio albums and to make her contract a permanent ten-year contract with no negotiations. You might even be able to get a good cut out of the Kotobuki Corp take over after we… let's say… bite its head off*!"

"That's unfair to me…" Mr. Kashiwara complained, "And that's unfair to Ms. Hirasawa as well!"

"Ms. Hirasawa is just a tool, Kashiwara, a tool people like you need to make money." Mr. Ran said, "We businessmen have to earn every single kinsu they're worth, and when they run out, they're expendable. That's the way the music industry ought to run."

"And it's because of business models like that that the music industry is dying!" Mr. Kashiwara argued, "Don't you see, Ran? The Osaka Philharmonic came here unsigned to a record label and wowed the Budokan crowd. The bands I had vowed to keep away put on a better show than any 'artist' I've had in my roster in years! Scratch that. It's the greatest show I've ever seen in a long, long while!"

"Your point being?"

"Take your contract and shove it up your ass, Ran."

"Very well." Mr. Ran laughed maniacally, "Very well, you misguidedly idealistic man. Watch as your own decision brings about your demise! My troops will make short work of this stupid concert of yours, and there's nothing you can do about it! They march towards the stage as we speak!"

"Oh yeah?" Mr. Kashiwara countered, "In case you've forgotten, Ran, you're not the only one with an army here. A war is being waged here in the corridors, and the audience will never know!"

As he spoke, one of Mr. Ran's men came running in the distance, tailed by one of Mr. Kashiwara's men. Not too long afterwards, Mr. Kashiwara's guard caught up and the Platinum Group guard was handcuffed and ashamed. Judging by the cheering of Kashiwara's garrison, muffled by the music of the HTT, Mr. Kashiwara's troops had the upper hand.

"I will not be defeated!" Mr. Ran cried, his eyes set on a nearby fire alarm, "This concert will end in tragedy! I will make sure of it!"

Seeing that Mr. Kashiwara was distracted, Mr. Ran made a run for the fire alarm but was intercepted by a young girl with glasses – Nodoka Manabe.

"Mr. CEO." Nodoka said in a calm voice, as she stood between him and the fire alarm "You do understand that pulling this fire alarm in a context beyond that of an actual fire emergency translates into a disturbance of the peace, right? Disturbing the peace is an offence punishable by the law and being convicted of such a crime will greatly tarnish not only your reputation, but the reputation of the Platinum Group as well."

"Like I care!" Mr. Ran shouted back at her, intent on pushing her aside and pulling the red handle.

"Well, I tried to reason with you." Nodoka shrugged. "You asked for it."

She then caught the hand that had meant to shove her, sidestepped past her opponent then struck at Mr. Ran's neck with a precise blow. The next moment, Mr. Ran was on the floor, fast asleep. When it was all over, Sawako Yamanaka and Natsuki Shinohara came rushing to Nodoka's side to support her. However, they quickly saw that Nodoka was more than able to stand her ground.

"Good work, comrade!" Natsuki said happily, "Bourgeoisie pigs deserve to be put to sleep! Though metaphorically doing it wouldn't be such a bad thing either."

Mr. Kashiwara watched this exchange with equal parts fright and astonishment. He approached the three cautiously and asked if they were there to get him too.

"We are allies for today at least, Mr. Kashiwara." Sawako then said, "Shoichi-kun told me about the order you gave your men and we sort of overheard your little talk with this sleeping guy here – you're not as bad as a person we thought you were. This piece of trash? Different story."

"So what happens now?" Mr. Kashiwara asked, "You're all here to take Hirasawa-san back to Osaka, are you not?"

"It's a long story, but it's quite the contrary, really." Sawako answered, "Like Tainaka-kun said before we left, they only really went here to cheer Hirasawa-chan on. If they had to do a guerilla live in a heavily-fortified fortress, then they would do just that."

"I see." Mr. Kashiwara replied, understanding the perspective of the Light Music Club much better. "I don't want to have any more bad blood with them or with Kotobuki Corp… and I do truly believe in Hirasawa-san. My methods back them may have been questionable, but my intentions were good. In exchange for your help, I'm lifting the blacklist on the Tainakas and I'm authorizing the performance of the HTT and Okaeri just this once."

"Much appreciated, Mr. Kashiwara." Sawako nodded, "However, there still are a lot of Platinum Group lackeys out here."

"My people are veteran guardsmen and guardswomen. They will fare better in this battle than the greenhorn recruits Ran got from QB Contractors." Mr. Kashiwara assured, "Give them a little more time and it will be over before we know it. No audience member will suspect a thing as long as we keep the audience focused on the stage."

"Shall we go and beat up a few more of these capitalist sell-swords, then?" Natsuki asked, "The three of us can help out if you wish."

"No, you three are members of the audience too." Mr. Kashiwara declined, "You ought to be enjoying the concert. For today at least, the Budokan is my castle and cleaning it up is my responsibility. Besides, I believe this is the kind of show we rarely get to see nowadays – the kind you really wouldn't want to miss."

Indeed, that was exactly what the troika thought as they returned to their seats in the audience area as did the Light Music Club and everyone that supported them.

Satoshi Tainaka, who ran through the heat of the battle in the corridor, especially agreed. For that reason, he couldn't bear to have Ui miss out on it. The show they were putting up that evening was for her after all – seeing it through a television screen or hearing it through the speaker systems wouldn't do. She had to be there in the flesh, see it with her own eyes and hear it with her own ears. He wanted to make sure of it.

"Almost there…" Satoshi huffed as he sprinted at top speed, "Almost…."

Having run past scores of enemy guards, Satoshi finally reached the door of Ui's dressing room. His heart pounded against his chest for various reasons and he struggled to catch his breath. His mind still numbed from the blitzkrieg, he unconsciously reached for the metal handle and opened the door. In the next moment, he was face to face with his beloved Ui.

"Satoshi-kun?" The girl asked, not sure whether the boy peering in from behind the door was a figment of her imagination. The boy smiled and dispelled her doubts in an instant. "Satoshi-kun!"

She ran towards him and embraced him as tightly as she could, absolutely elated to see him again. There were a lot of things Ui wanted to tell him, but no words came from her mouth. Overwhelmed by a slew of emotions, the girl started to sob. Satoshi returned her embrace to console her and the two stood there together for a moment.

"Are you ready to go, Ui?" Satoshi asked as soon as she had calmed down.

"Go where?" Ui asked

While Ui spoke, a pair of Platinum Group guards saw Satoshi in Ui's dressing room and charged towards him with batons and handcuffs.

"Just come with me." Satoshi said with a confident smile, "There's something I'm sure you'd love to see."

Ui saw the guards making their way to where they were and she gave Satoshi a quick nod. He then took her by the hand and the two burst out of the dressing room.

"_Our next song is a very special song I made not too long ago._" Yui's voice then blared happily over the speaker system, "_Ui-chan, if you can hear me out there, this song is for you! Our last song for the night – U&I!"_

* * *

**U & I**

**Musicians: Yui Hirasawa (Gt-1, Vo), Mio Akiyama (Ba), Ritsu Tainaka (Dr), Azusa Nakano (Gt-2), Tsumugi Kotobuki (Ky), The Osaka Philharmonic (Var.)**

* * *

"_When you're not around, I feel a tiny little bit worried_

_Who will make the rice for me tonight?_

_So then I sat there, waiting for you to come home,_

_Ready to hug you and smile."_

…

"_But by now, I think I've come to realize_

_To see you happy makes this all worthwhile_

_And your voice, that I've loved from the very start_

_Will always be with me here in my heart!"_

…

"_And so now, here I am, against all the odds,_

_On my feet, standing tall, filling my own bowl._

_Now I want you to see, how much I have grown_

_And just how much I love you!"_

…

"_Through the sun, and the rain, I will carry on._

_All your love, and your care, have all made me strong!_

_And wherever I go, I know you're not far,_

_So things will be alright."_

…

"Onee-chan made this song?" Ui asked, listening to the song as she and Satoshi ran. "Amazing!"

"She really cares about you Ui." Satoshi then said, "We all do – that's why we're here."

He then brought the two of them to a nearby entrance to the audience area and opened the doors, making the full strength of the performance reach their ears. Satoshi brought them closer to the stage where the performers could see them and they were happy to say the least. Everyone started playing with a little extra bit of gusto, especially Yui who now felt as if she was singing for her little sister alone.

...

"_Far apart, miles away, I sing now to you._

_All these words, they all come, straight from my heart!_

_So please listen to me, I mean what I say_

_I'll love you no matter where life takes us!"_

…

"_So I say 'thank you' now, but not 'goodbye'._

_It'll be hard, yes I know, but I still have to try_

_I'll cook up my rice, and swallow my pride_

_Things will be alright."_

…

"_Just don't forget, you and I."_

* * *

Yui, with her face peppered with beads of sweat, closed her eyes and savored the explosive applause that their performance had garnered. The cheer that she savored the most, however, was that of Ui and Satoshi standing together near the foot of the stage. The guitarist then felt a hand patting her shoulder – it was Ritsu's.

"C'mon, Yui." She said happily, going closer to where Satoshi and Ui were, "Let's help our siblings up."

Yui and Ritsu then held out their hands to Ui and Satoshi and pulled the two onto the stage. The entire Light Music Club then came out to meet them and Ui emotionally thanked each and every one of them for coming that night. Seeing them all like that made her feel like they hadn't been apart for more than a week.

As they chatted on stage, Ui saw that the bulk of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra were already packing their instruments and trickling off the stage. Some of the members of the HTT too were no longer equipped to play – Mio and Yui in particular had their instruments disconnected from the main sound system.

"You guys aren't going to stay and perform more?" Ui asked them, "The crowd loves you! I'm sure they'd want to hear more."

"As much as we'd like to do that, Ui…" Ritsu replied, "We came here with the Philharmonic, and our timeslot with them is technically over. We're already eating up a minute or two of your scheduled performance here…"

"On top of that," Satoshi added, now bearing a familiar electric guitar in his hands, "This is your show and your crowd, Ui. Not ours."

"Tele!" Ui squealed happily, accepting her Squier Telecaster from Satoshi. She wore it over her shoulders and played a few notes to find out that it was amped. The sound made her heart race and made good memories flood her mind. She then turned to Satoshi and asked, "Would you perhaps… mind performing with me tonight? For old time's sake… just this once. I don't know how you'll be able to…"

She then scratched her head in confusion. Ui had asked what she had asked in the heat of the moment, so when she looked back at her request, she figured it was impossible to have her friends perform a song she thought they knew nothing of. Little did she know that that was not the case.

"_Modokashii Sekai no Ue de._" Satoshi asked, spinning the drumsticks in his hands with relative ease, "That's the name of your song, right?"

"Don't tell me you guys…" Ui gasped, "The lyric sheets, and the chords…"

"Yeah – we know this song as well as you do." Satoshi said, finishing her sentence for her, "Those crappy out-of-the-can beats they planned to put in your song didn't make sense, so we figured we'd liven it up a little. Light rock suits you better than teen pop anyways."

"I don't have much love for those beats either." Ui chuckled, "But doing all of this for my sake…"

"Yui-nee's song summed up why we're here today." Satoshi replied, "No matter where we go and how far we end up being from each other, we'll all still love you and each other. You have a dream of becoming an artist, and here is your opportunity now!"

"What about you guys?" Ui asked weakly, "I only just tagged along with you all at the start, so taking this opportunity by myself feels quite selfish…"

"It's not, Ui." Yui reassured, "What happened in Osaka were our own problems – problems we all had to resolve on our own. They aren't your fault. For a long time, I knew you had a lot of talent in you. You got discovered on your own accord and you deserve to take this chance you have."

"As for the rest of us…" Ritsu added, "We'll reach this stage soon someday. Our own time to perform here will come. I don't know when exactly, but definitely, we will."

"You wouldn't know how happy I am now to see all of you here and to hear that from you." Ui said, holding on to Tele fondly, "Thank you… really. Thank you very much, Satoshi, everyone… This is a dream come true."

"Save the thanking for later, Ui." Satoshi advised, pointing to the crowd, "The audience wants its main event."

Ui then turned to the audience of ten thousand and saw them all cheering for her. The bright stage lights assigned for her performance went on, reminding her of the vivid dream she had of performing in the Budokan. Reality had strayed from her dream, but it seemed more beautiful and empowering to her than she ever could have imagined.

"Well then." Ui said, taking her place behind a microphone, "I'm Ui Hirasawa, and performing with me tonight is Okaeri. I had been practicing this song in one style for months now, but I will be trying out a sort of a new version of it tonight… so please bear with me."

The crowd showered the girl with cries of support and the girl was truly moved.

"Thank you very much!" She cried back, "So, here it is – _Modokashii Sekai no Ue de!"_

* * *

**Modokashii Sekai no Ue de (On Top of This Troublesome World)**

**Musicians: Ui Hirasawa (Gt-1, Vo), Jun Suzuki (Ba), Satoshi Tainaka (Dr), Azusa Nakano (Gt-2), Francis Suzuki (Vi), Tsumugi Kotobuki (Ky)**

* * *

The song opened very lightly with the first few bars led by Tsumugi on the piano and Satoshi on the drums. The tempo was a little bit slower than the original version, so the two played a few extra bars to get Ui and the rest primed for it. Once they were ready, Azusa and Jun jumped in with guns blazing and Francis followed with smooth high notes.

Ui listened to the intro bars carefully and her fretting hand felt as if new life had been breathed onto it. Ui started strumming on clean, but in her haste and excitement, had forgotten to start singing. Two bars went by without Ui's voice, but it didn't matter. Satoshi and the rest just returned to the first bar after finishing the fourth, much to Ui's relief.

"You can do it, Ui!" Satoshi cheered from behind the drum set, "We believe in you, now believe in yourself!"

The debut artist smiled then re-entered the first bar with the rest, making sure to sing this time.

…

"_At the peak of this world we call our own,_

_The one we believed had come to a sudden end,_

_We cast our dreams and let them fly_

_Yet now expect them to fall the moment we let go."_

…

"_I tell myself that this is impossible,_

_And yet I long to go on further._

_Take a step and believe."_

…

"_Tell me you feel it too."_

…

"_As small as this world of ours may come to be,_

_I feel it's much to large to grasp with my own two hands._

_And when this world becomes vast and endless, still,_

_I feel like something's missing and I find myself at a loss. Hey."_

…

"_But now that I know,_

_That I'll never be alone_

_In this world…_

_I know I can carry on."_

* * *

At the end of the verse, Azusa took to the frontlines with a lively guitar solo. She then turned to Ui and stopped halfway, letting Ui finish the rest of the solo portion. Though it had been a long time since she had soloed on an electric guitar, she pieced something together, drawing from the techniques she had learned in her year with the Light Music Club. It was nothing short of impressive.

The Tokyo portion of the crowd who had expected Ui to just be a pop singer were stunned by the way she played her Telecaster. Even the girl who had called Radio Tokyo the day before to denounce Ui was present in the audience and couldn't believe her eyes or her ears – Ui was giving the greatest performance she had ever seen. Sawako, the headmistress and the combined group from Sakura-gakou and the Osaka West were very much impressed as well. The passion Ui had for what she did was present in every note she sang and every note she played and Ui's hands danced on the guitar strings, prodded by everyone's supportive cheer.

As this all took place, Mr. Kashiwara, who had been marshalling his troops for the past half-hour, had finally succeeded in forcing Mr. Ran and his men out of the Budokan. He was listening to the performance over the speaker system and watched from one of the wall-mounted television screens in the area. He was promptly joined by his daughter Sarina and the father and daughter leaned against the wall to listen. The two of them agreed that it was many times better than the original version they had coughed up under the supervision of the Platinum Group.

Soon enough, the song came to an end and Ui made an announcement to the world.

"I've decided now." She said, tearful yet happy, "I'm staying on this path I've decided to walk! I'll be in your care!"

The girl bowed and a standing ovation greeted her gesture. Tsumugi, Azusa and the original members of Okaeri then gathered in a straight line at her sides. On her left was her best friend Azusa who and to her right was her beloved Satoshi. The performers all joined hands in the same fashion Okaeri did at the end of a performance then bowed together.

Under the bright lights of the Budokan stage, surrounded by her friends and supporters, Ui's dream finally came true.

...

..

.

..

...

"And that's pretty much what happened." Azusa said as she sat at the helm of the table of the Sakura-gakou Music Room. Seated around her were Jun Suzuki, Satoshi Tainaka, Francis Suzuki and a handful of freshman and sophomore girls and boys sfrom Sakura-gakou and the Osaka West respectively. Azusa's fellow seniors all fondly reminisced about their past year with the Light Music Club while the new recruits were absolutely amazed.

That afternoon was the very first meeting of the Light Music Club after the graduation of the seniors. Thanks to the revision of some statutes of the school rules of both Sakura-gakou and the Osaka West, the long-standing plan to integrate the Light Music Clubs of the two schools was finally put into action. Thus, as the current President Azusa had predicted, they had roughly fourteen members and wouldn't be in any member quota-related problems for a long, long time.

"Now then, you guys." Francis said, standing up from his seat, "How about I make us all some tea? It'll be good, eh?"

The seniors and the recruits all agreed and started to tell Francis their preferences. Just like Tsumugi had done before him, he wrote them down on a piece of paper and taped it underneath the cupboard. He then opened the cupboard and drew the container of maple syrup Tsumugi had marked '_pour le avenir_' and the other condiments and proceeded to make fourteen cups of tea.

"How are you holding up, President Nakano?" Satoshi then asked the guitarist, "The new recruits seem to respect you."

"I'm doing fine, thank you very much, Vice-President Tainaka." Azusa replied, "It's a little bit strange filling in the seniors' shoes, but I'll get used to it. Having you and Suzuki-kun on deck more regularly would help a lot."

"Well, Francis and I still do have our duties at the Press Club." Satoshi explained, "Senpai entrusted us with a lot of work after she graduated, so I can't really promise that we will be here all the time."

"I expected that much." Azusa sighed, "But when the live performances start coming..."

"You'll be able to count on us." Satoshi said, "Just like this is our last year in the Light Music Club, this is the last year of Okaeri too. The HTT disbanded after graduation, after all."

"I know, Satoshi-kun... I know..." Azusa moaned, "I still find it hard to believe, but hey... every good thing comes to an end. But that's no reason to give up now."

"Yes indeed." Satoshi agreed, "We can't really predict the future, so who knows what it may hold. Maybe someday, the HTT and Okaeri can get back together."

"That'll be wonderful." Azusa said dreamily, "For now, we still have a whole year ahead of us."

"Yeah. This is only the beginning."

* * *

Tiro Finale - The ultimate move of Mami Tomoe of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Can also refer to a buzzer-beater shot. This was supposed to be the chapter name, until I decided to change it :P

Becky Black* - Rebecca Black, the infamous artist who sang the infamous song 'Friday'

ARM Music Factory* - Ark Music Factory, need I explain more?

$heka* - Ke$ha with the dollar $ign

Bieber* - Justin Bieber. The girl mentions she is referring to US Americans, but Bieber is Canadian

Belle Ame* - Fictional band in the anime BECK. The band sold out to a record label and 'sold it's soul' to become famous in a sense.

Stalin* - Natsuki believes in Socialism, not Stalinism. After he died, many Soviets expressed their dislike of him too.

Mugi's Feathered Beret* - This headgear is worn by Mami Tomoe of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Walpurgis Night* - (One of the?) Main antagonist(s) of Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Akemi Homura's Bombardment* - In episode (spoiler), she bombards (spoiler) with hundreds upon hundreds of (spoilers) but (spoiler). Go figure.

Micheal Bay explosion fest* - A Micheal Bay film isn't a Micheal Bay film without tons of explosions.

Ocean's (Number)* - A movie series of bank heists and high-profile robberies executed smoothly

Bite its head off* - Mr. Ran says he and Platinum Group would bite off the head of Kotobuki Corp. If you watched episode (spoiler) of (spoiler), then you'll know what I mean. :D

QB* - Kyuubey, also known as (spoiler). (Spoiler) sign a contract with him! You will (spoiler) it!

* * *

**Author's Notes II: **There will be another short epilogue to follow this chapter, as well as some Omake and deleted scenes! Thank you once again, and good night!


	33. Omake I

**Full Court Press!**

**Omake I**

…

_Hello all and welcome to the first installment of extra chapters for the story entitled 'Full Court Press'. My name is Dr. Sigmund Freud and I will serve as your host for the duration of time in which you read this extra chapter and the extra chapters that proceed afterward this one. To set things straight, I am qualified to be the host since I am a licensed psychologist with volumes of works and studies under my name and since I was left out for the most part of Full Court Press. Also, I refer to this chapter as an 'extra' chapter rather than the strange word you see at the top-left corner of this page since, frankly, I am Austrian and I do not have the first clue as to how to pronounce it._

"It's pronounced 'oh-mah-keh', Dr. Freud." Satoshi replied, "Your inability to pronounce it makes you unfit to narrate this introduction any further."

_How dare you, boy? I've been practicing for this role during the thirty or so chapters I wasn't involved in… look! My text is even italicized! I don't remember you using italicized text when you narrate, and neither did your sister, or Ui Hirasawa or Mio Akiyama!_

"Well, we didn't need to italicize our narrations." Ritsu defended, "The whole point of narrating in a character's point of view is to write it well enough for the reader to be able to guess who's talking."

"Very true." Mio agreed, folding her arms as she faced the Austrian psychologist, "None of us used italicized text since we wanted to be remembered for the way we narrated, not the variation of font we used."

_That doesn't make sense! I mean, look at this! Despite having nearly no role in Full Court Press, the reader reading this would be thinking, 'oh, Sigmund Freud is narrating'. This method is much more convenient!_

"Are you really sure you want to be arguing about convenience?" Satoshi asked, "Do you know how shitty I felt having you stuck in my mind whenever I tried to rationalize things? Do you know how many breakfasts I've foregone because of my newfound fear of eating sausages?"

"So that's why you never liked hotdogs in your bento boxes…" Ui said in realization

_Well, a sausage is a phallic…_

"There you go again!" Satoshi cried, "That does it, Freud. Get the fuck out of my head!"

_I will do no such thing. I am a world-renowned psychologist and I refuse to take orders from a boy who just turned seventeen! I will stay here and narrate as much as I want!_

Satoshi then sighed then turned to Yui Hirasawa who watched the entire exchange with keen interest.

"Yui-nee," he moaned, "do your thing."

Like an excited puppy, Yui nodded vigorously then turned to the Austrian psychologist.

"Mr. Freud, You are merely a figment of Satoshi-kun's imagination made to embody the numerous self-defense mechanisms he had built to combat depression and the burdens of leadership. Aside from that, you were just a plot device that lost its significance halfway through the prologue story _Time Out Substitution _when the author transitioned the story from a crackfic into an original story. The very statement that spawned you into your so-called existence, '_Freud will have a field day with this'_ was taken straight from the final episode of the first season of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya!

You do not exist – you are a reference and an old running gag, but nothing more."

The psychologist's face then paled, his mind unable to comprehend or accept what he had just heard. Defeated, he slouched forward then disappeared into nothingness.

_Alright then, back on the narrating table. Now let me just turn off the italics_ and we'll be good to go. So anyways, yo folks – this is Satoshi. Welcome to the Full Court Press Omake! The Omake is a collection of randomness and pseudo-crossovers and will be loosely based on Full Court Press but will not affect the storyline whatsoever. It's all for the lulz, folks, so don't expect any grand story development!

"Guys, guys!" Mugi-senpai said happily as she joined us where we all were. "Francis proposed to me… and I said 'yes'!"

So much for that disclaimer… Meh, everyone saw it coming. In any case, here it is folks – the line up of the omake we will present to you!

…

**Part-Time Mailroom Tainaka Magica**

…

**Welcome to the H.T.T.**

…

**The Melancholy of Azusa Nakano**

…

**Great Teacher Yamanaka**

…

**To Aru Kagaku no Gitah**

…

**Bands, Budokan and Summoned Beings**

…

**Yuidora!**

…

**Ore No Onee-chan Konnani Kawaii Wake Ga Nai**

…

**Hirasawa Days**

…

**Cowboy J-Pop**

…

**Satoshi's Modern Life**

…

**Full Court Consequences!**

…

**Public High School Saga**

…

**The KBA Finals**

…

**The Adventures of Maple-Syrup Finn**

…

**Incept-On**

…

**BACH**

…

**Keiontama**

…

These are the working titles of the Omake coming up in the next chapter, but the list may still be subject to change! We'll all see you soon then!

**Omakes next chapter!**

...

Sigmund Freud walked dejectedly through the nothingness that the author had failed do provide an ample description of. He stopped for a while to take out a cigar to smoke. The cigars were present underneath his coat, but his box of matches had been left behind on the narration table that was currently unmanned - thus the default third-person narration. He had considered going back to fetch it, but he did not wish to ever see the cast of Full Court Press ever again.

"I'm not a big fan of your narration too, Mr. Author." Freud shouted out to the heavens.

Hey, hey... why don't you try writing something at 1AM in the morning. The psychologist shrugged and turned around. A ferret-like creature then ran towards him and hopped onto his shoulder.

"Let's go Kyuubey." Freud said to the creature, "These people do not want us here."

"Indeed, they don't." The creature replied, "Being a mindfuck is suffering."

"I agree, little friend . I totally agree."


	34. Omake II

**Full Court Press!**

**Omake II**

**…**

**Author's Notes:** Hello folks, and sorry for the long update times! I have been busy with a lot of things in RL and I've been paying a lot of attention to my Puella Magi Madoka Magica fic 'Magia, Pacem, Bellum Terrarum' lately. I apologize in advance for not being able to develop _all_ of the gags I listed in Omake I, but I do want to get to writing the actual epilogue soon. I still did pull out all of the stops in this set, so don't worry :D. Here it is now, the final omake chapter - Omake II!

**…**

**The Presidency of Azusa Nakano I, "Inagurati-On"**

(President Azusa Nakano is sworn into office.)

"This thing on?" Jun said, tapping the microphone stand she had just set up in the Sakura-gakou club room. "Ah, perfect. Azusa, it's ready!"

"Thank you, Chief Justice Suzuki." Azusa said with a nod, jogging over to the stand with a few sheets of paper in hand. The rest of the people present in the room watched as the incoming Club President cleared her throat and scanned through her papers.

Present there that afternoon were outgoing President Ritsu Tainaka, the graduated seniors, Francis, Jun and Satoshi, the ten new members from both Sakura-gakou and Osaka West and Sawako Yamanaka. Even Ui Hirasawa was present via the webcam of a laptop atop Satoshi's lap. Nearly everyone wondered exactly why they were all there… and why Jun was being called 'Chief Justice'

"Azusa's taking this 'President' think way too seriously…" Ritsu whispered to Satoshi, "At this rate…"

"Are you ready to take the Oath, Azusa?" Jun then asked. Azusa replied with a nod.

"Okay. Repeat after me. 'I, Azusa Nakano, do solemnly swear…'"

"I, Azusa Nakano, do solemnly swear…"

"'That I will execute the Office of the President of the Light Music Club faithfully'"

"That I will execute the Office of the President of the Light Music Club faithfully"

"And to maintain the integrity of the club come what may."

"And to maintain the integrity of the club, come what may."

"Hmm…" Jun hummed, "You added an extra comma there… but no biggie! Congratulations, Ms. President!"

Jun then shook Azusa's hand and Sawako started playing 'Hail To The Chief' on the piano. Everyone else was shocked. Profoundly shocked. Club Meetings would never be the same again.

* * *

**The Presidency of Azusa Nakano II, "Initiative"**

(Mio and Ritsu look back at the previous Administration)

After Azusa's inauguration, she shook hands with her puzzled crowd as Mio and Ritsu watched with awe.

"Ritsu…"

"What is it, Mio?" Ritsu asked,

"Isn't it nice that Azusa is taking a lot of initiative in being the Club President?" Mio asked, "I guess the Light Music Club will be fine."

"I guess so… but, you're not saying that I _lacked_ initiative in my two years in office?"

Mio stayed silent.

"C'mon, Mio." Ritsu pleaded, "We did a lot of great things during my Presidency! We reached the Budokan, for crying out loud! That's a lot of initiative!"

"But you never held elections…"

"Low blow, Mio… Low blow."

* * *

**The Presidency of Azusa Nakano III, "Endorsements"**

(Yui gives President Azusa her support)

"Azu-nyan!" Yui cried happily, hugging the newly inaugurated Club President, "I'm so proud of you! I really am!"

"Yui-senpai…" Azusa moaned in resistance, "I appreciate your support, but do you really have to be hugging me in front of everyone?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Yui said with a smile, "It'll show everyone who I'll be supporting in next year's election! I'm endorsing you!"

"But… Yui-senpai…" Azusa grumbled, "You do remember that I'm a senior now, right? This will be my last year."

"Oh… right… ahehehe~"

Bawling then rang out from the laptop on Satoshi's lap. It was Ui.

"Uwah~! I want to hug… I mean, endorse Azusa too!"

"Ui…" Satoshi then sobbed, "I want you to _endorse_ me too!"

Ritsu then sighed.

"I knew I should have written up a _no lobbying_ law somewhere down the line… Keep this up, this'll become a Yuri fic…"

* * *

**The Presidency of Azusa Nakano IV, "Let's Party"**

(Satoshi and the members of the LMC are issued ID cards)

"Here you go." Azusa said, handing Satoshi an ID, "Please wear this during club meetings."

"What's this?" Satoshi asked, looking at the ID curiously. It read, '_Satoshi Tainaka; Osaka West (O) – Vice President of the Light Music Club_'

"Oh cool." Satoshi remarked, "It's like those sub-titles you see on news shows… but did you really have to mention me being from Osaka West?"

"Sorta, yeah." Azusa said, "It'll be like… political parties."

"Hmm… that makes sense… hey! Wait a minute?"

"What's wrong, Satoshi-kun?"

"There's only five of us from Osaka West and nine of you from Sakura-gakou! We're the minority!"

Azusa then stepped back then ran in the opposite direction.

"AZUSA!"

* * *

**The Presidency of Azusa Nakano V, "Opposition Trump Card"**

(Vice President Tainaka discusses strategy with Minority Leader Francis Suzuki)

"So, France… Azusa wants to turn the Light Music Club into a congress, and we Osaka West-ers are the minority." Satoshi complained, "We'll never get any favorable bills passed this way! Azusa has me by the balls!"

"Would you rather have had Ui-chan be the President?" Francis asked with a raised brow.

"It wouldn't make a difference…" Satoshi said. He then blushed. "Shut up."

"Being the minority won't be much of a problem, VP." Francis said with a grin, "I've already got that covered."

"But, France… if we want anything to pass, we need at least 50% of the vote. We'd be two votes short all the time."

"Oh-hoh~! I think our bills will pass with 100% of the vote, my friend."

"What makes you so confident about that?"

"Have you forgotten?" Francis asked, showing Satoshi his ID, "I'm, Mugi's successor – the Minister of Tea-Making. The Tea is ours!"

"Control the Tea, win the vote." Satoshi smirked, "You sly fox, you… Let's just hope Mugi-senpai doesn't find out."

* * *

**The Presidency of Azusa Nakano VI, "Lost In Translation"**

(Francis Suzuki imitates the Canadian parliament)

"Members of the congress," Jun announced, "My brother, the Minority Leader, has the floor."

"Thank you, Jun." Francis said as he went up to the microphone stand, "Today I would like to propose a new budget plan for the Light Music Club for this incoming fiscal year."

He then cleared his throat and repeated what he had just said. In French.

"Merci beaucoup, Jun. Aujourd'hui, je voudrais proposer un plan budgétaire nouvelle pour le Club de Musique Légère…"

"Suzuki-kun?" Azusa interrupted, "What… is this all about?"

"Weren't you listening to the Japanese version?" Francis asked, "It's about the budget plan…"

"No, no…" Azusa said, shaking her head, "The French? What's with the French?"

"Oh! That." Francis clarified, "In Canada, legislators have to be bilingual to get the French vote. I wouldn't want to estrange the French speakers here, eh?"

"There aren't any French speakers here, Suzuki-kun…" Azusa mumbled

"Oh yeah?" Jun countered with a smirk, "S'il vous plaît procéder."

Azusa facepalmed.

* * *

**The Presidency of Azusa Nakano VII, "Default"**

(President Nakano addresses the Light Music Club's looming debt crisis)

"Members of the congress, clubmates, and friends…" Azusa said with a shaky voice, "I have talked with Mr. Suzuki over the past few minutes about the budget of the Light Music Club and have some terrible news… we are about to reach our debt ceiling. We will soon be unable to repay our debts to those from whom we have borrowed. Unless we find a good source of revenue, we might default on our payments…"

The majority of the club members stayed silent, not really knowing what Azusa was talking about and why they should worry.

"In layman's terms…" Azusa clarified, "If we don't pay our debts soon – we may have to start cutting back on tea, condiments and snacks."

This time, everyone panicked. Azusa could only sigh. Sometimes she wondered if her constituents' hearts were in the right place.

* * *

**The Presidency of Azusa Nakano VIII, "Invasion"**

(President Nakano considers calling for a Guerilla Live to save the LMC economy)

"What should we do then, Prez?" One of the Sakura-gakou girls weeped, "We can't live without tea and snacks!"

"I am very much aware of that." Azusa said understandingly, "Which is why I've come up with this plan to raise funds. Satoshi-kun!"

"What's up, Azusa?" Asked the Vice-President

"Get your troops ready. We're going to invade Central Osaka East District and have another guerilla live!"

"You know, Azusa…" Satoshi sighed, "If we really need money, all we have to do is practice and do gigs at the live houses. We have two bands this year and a logistics crew, so our operating performance costs shouldn't be too high. Heck, we could even start recording CD's for Okaeri too if you wanted."

"Right…" Azusa said in a daze, "I almost forgot about that…"

"You just wanted to give the orders for a guerrilla live, didn't you?"

"Yeah…" Azusa said shyly, "Tch… Ritsu-senpai got to do all the fun stuff."

* * *

**The Presidency of Azusa Nakano IX, "Foreign Investment"**

(President Nakano unveils her plan to attract external revenue)

"Suzuki-kun."

"What is it, President Nakano?"

"Satoshi-kun's suggestion (or should I say reminder) will keep our finances stable… but I've come up with a way to make sure we'll have the funding we need at all times – but I'll need your full cooperation."

"Funding on demand?" Francis beamed, "Sure! Sure! I'll do what I can."

"I want you to secure funding from Kotobuki Corp… can you do that?"

"Hmm… that will be a little tough…" Francis sighed, rubbing his chin, "We already have quite a bit of help from the Kotobuki Corp – a lot of resources were spent for our Budokan excursion with Ritsu-senpai and the rest last year… not to mention that I still have a personal debt to Kotobuki Corp of 11,000,000 kinsu to pay off. My credit rating with them must have been downgraded bad…"

"Oh right…" Azusa hummed, "But I don't think that will be too much of a problem."

"Eh? Why not?"

"Propose to Mugi-senpai and we'll get the loans we need, when we need them!"

"Guh~" Francis groaned, "Why does everyone want me to get married early…?"

* * *

**Character Polls**

"Hello folks!" Shoichi Yagihara greeted happily, "And thank you for being here with us this afternoon. I'm Shoichi Yagihara…"

"And I'm Sarina Kashiwara!"

"And we'll be your hosts for tonight's award ceremony!"

The auditorium of Sakura-gakou filled with students from both Sakura-gakou and Osaka West then exploded with applause. Silver screens had been set up on the stage, showing a broad shot of the cast of FCP seated together in the middle of the auditorium. Ritsu and Yui were hyped to be on TV. Mio, on the other hand, fainted.

"Thank you!" Sarina said cheerfully, "So now, this is how we'll go about it. Awards will be given to the second runner up, the runner up and the winner of the Character Poll in that order! Each and every one of them will be called up to give a speech – does that sound good?"

The crowd roared appreciatively. Mio was rushed outside for fresh air.

"Okay then, so let's get started!" Yagihara continued, "Our second runner up is a girl with a will of steel and a heart of Marxism! Previously unnamed until later chapters, she worked hard in the Osaka West Press Club and in the West Osaka District Newspaper and soon became known as everybody's favorite communist!"

"Oy!" Natsuki shouted, "I'm a socialist! Not a communist!"

"Yes, of course…" Yagihara laughed dryly, "Anyways, there you have it folks – our second runner up with thirteen percent of the total vote. Natsuki Shinohara, also known as 'Senpai'! Come on up here!"

The socialist upperclassman then rose up from her chair then trotted up onto the stage to receive a bronze statue fashioned into a hammer and sickle. Her happiness was immediate.

"I thank you all, my comrades and my capitalist acquaintances whom I am willing to tolerate for the sake of friendship." Natsuki grinned, "This award is a symbol that the people's struggle is still very much alive and that socialists can and always will kick ass!"

"You tell them, senpai!" Satoshi and Francis cheered together

"Of course, comrades." Natsuki winked, raising a fist into the air, "It has been a great pleasure working with you all, socialist or not, and I am really glad to be a part of this wonderful, wonderful cast. You all rock – really! You're all part of rock bands for crying out loud! До свидания! Good bye!"

"Give it up for Natsuki Shinohara, ladies and gentlemen! And thank you for speaking for us this afternoon!" Sarina cheered, "Next up, we have our runner up… Ui Hirasawa with twenty percent of the votes!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute…" Yagihara interrupted, "What I have on my card is Satoshi Tainaka for runner up… twenty percent of the votes too!"

"Send them both up!" Ritsu cried deviously, "Speech! Speech!"

Before long, the auditorium was filled with cries of 'Speech!', making Satoshi and Ui beet red.

"Come on now!" Yui said as she and Ritsu dragged Ui and Satoshi respectively onto the stage, "We already performed at the Budokan! No need to be shy now!"

At their elder sisters' command, Satoshi and Ui slowly climbed up the stairs. They looked at each other with starry eyes then nodded to each other, prodding themselves to go on further. As they got up, Yagihara handed the two a silver sculpture of a house. The two couldn't be happier.

"Everyone…" Ui said, wiping the tears forming at the sides of her eyes, "No words can describe how happy Satoshi-kun and I feel… this grand, magnificent journey we've gone on wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for all of the support you've given us over the past… year is it?"

"More than a year now, Ui." Satoshi said sweetly, kissing Ui's cheek, "And yes, your support all this time is very much appreciated. We reached the Budokan, man! We reached the Budokan! That doesn't happen every day, you know and… Ui and I have learned that no matter where life takes us, we'll always be together."

"And…" Ui added, holding Satoshi's hand, "It's because we have love."

"Riichan~" Yui sobbed, struggling to keep herself from bawling, "They grow up so fast…"

"They do, huh…" Ritsu agreed, an uncontrollable smile growing on her face, "Boy oh boy…"

"Yui-nee, big sis." Satoshi then said with a smile, "Come on up here!"

"Eh?" The two girls gasped, "Us?"

"Yeah." Ui assured happily, "Please do join us! We're a family after all – we should take this award together!"

Ritsu patted Yui's back and the two of them joined Satoshi and Ui on stage. The moment they got up though, Satoshi shouted,

"Pincer attack!"

He and Ui then embraced their sisters and the cameras flashed. They all then each had a turn taking a photo with the trophy, followed by a group picture. They all then walked back to their seats together.

"Well then – that was nice, wasn't it?" Yagihara said happily, "Time to move on then to the winner of our character poll!"

"Okay!" Sarina continued eagerly, "So, our winner is known as the master tea server of the Light Music Club and she is one of the pivotal people that keeps the club going! An expert on the piano, she plays both classical music and rock with equal gusto. Not only does she perform with Hokago Tea Time, she is the lead pianist of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra! She garnered 26% of the votes too! Please give a round of applause for Ms. Tsumugi Kotobuki!"

The golden haired girl bounced out of her chair then happily walked through the aisles towards the stage. She passed by Francis who have her a supportive thumbs up.

"Go get em, Mugi!"

"Will do, Francis!"

Tsumugi ran up to the stage and received a golden trophy in the shape of a small violin. Applause filled the room as she accepted it and she proceeded towards the microphone to speak.

"I am really honored to be standing before you here this afternoon." Tsumugi said with a smile, "In all my years, I never thought that I would be able to be part of a group like Hokago Tea Time, let alone accept an award like this and all… but I guess miracles do happen. Finding a companion in what would have been a lonely journey… restoring a friendship that I thought had been lost forever… oh! And skating on the sidewalk was pretty miraculous too in its own way!

My life has been filled with miracles and I can proudly say that it's all thanks to all of you here!"

Tsumugi then placed her hands on her heart, revealing a gold engagement ring on her finger with a diamond sparkling in the stage lights. The camera zoomed in on it and everyone in the auditorium turned to Francis. The half-Canadian boy melted in his seat.

"And that's all the time we have for today!" Yagihara said, "Once again, thank you all for being here today and thank you for being with us from the very beginning!"

"From Time Out! Substitution! To Snowbanks then here to Full Court Press!" Sarina added, "On behalf of the author, I say it has been a pleasure having you with us on this journey! Good bye!"

**End of Omake**

* * *

**Final Epilogue Next Chapter**


	35. Afterstory

**Author's Notes:**

Hello all, and thank you once again for supporting the Full Court Press! Project all of this time. I just wanted to announce to you all that starting maybe on November, I will start working on a revised edition of the Full Court Press! Trilogy. I'll be writing all three stories, TO!S!, Snowbanks and FCP! together into one story and I'll be revising the chapters to make the story flow smoothly and to tie up some loose ends that I may come across – hopefully, I can make an FCP! 2.0!

In any case, I hope you enjoy this little Afterstory chapter I wrote up! I would appreciate any and every bit of feedback you send my way! So, here it is, the Afterstory!

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

**Afterstory**

"Hirasawa-san! Hirasawa-san!" cried reporters as they encircled Ui at the Narita International Airport. The reporters surrounding her with microphones, lights and cameras, making the younger Hirasawa wince from the brightness. "Hirasawa-san! Comment!"

"I'm sorry." Ui apologized with a bow, shrugging away the question and giving herself some room to breathe, "I'm really tired right now and I'd really like to have my rest. Also…"

She pointed to one of the TV departure screens, "I don't want to miss my plane home."

The cameras turned to the TV departure screen and saw a Japan Airlines plane departing from Tokyo to Osaka. When they turned back to Ui, she was already a good distance away pulling her hand-carry trolley towards security. The news anchors then started to move in one massive blob, ready to overpower the security personnel to surround Ui again. However, they were halted by the steeled Shoichi and Sarina Yagihara who blocked the reporters' paths.

"Let her go, you lot." Shoichi told the insistent reporters, "You all have some nerve trying to pester a young girl like that."

"But… she's the prime artist of Japan – one of the greatest solo artists of the decade!" one of the newscasters argued, "Is this the end of Hirasawa-san's career?"

"She's been working hard these past five years, and a contract is a contract. She fulfilled her terms – she deserves to go home." Sarina then countered, "Hirasawa-san also deserves the right to choose what she wants to do with her life. Who knows what the future holds for someone like her?"

* * *

It was afternoon at the entrance of Osaka International Airport, hundreds of people were moving to and fro as planes came and went. It was a bit of a boring place, I thought as I sat at one of the waiting area seats. Aside from the announcements blaring every now and then, the occasional funny commercial on the television or the anime series one of the people I was sitting behind happened to be watching, the place was pretty stale. Even though I had been drinking from a large paper cup of coffee for the past thirty minutes, this place was threatening to lull me to sleap. Damn it – see, I can't even think properly.

However, I wasn't bored. Rather, my heart was racing… and the anxiety I felt was getting harder and harder to bear. The reason – a small box I held on to protectively in my hand; a box that held all of my feelings for the girl that I love. The fact that _Modokashii__Sekai__no__Ue__de_ and a whole host of songs from Ui's three studio albums were playing on the airport's speaker systems didn't help me calm down either.

I've been hearing Ui's magnificent voice over the radio and on the television often since she finally debuted as a performing artist, yes… but I've been longing to hear her voice all these years. I closed my eyes and fondly tried to imagine the scene.

"Satoshi-kun!"

Yeah… just like that. She'd be calling out to me, her voice accompanied by quick footsteps…

Man, thinking about it makes me feel all mushy inside. What happened to my snarky self, damn it? Not that I want it back, though.

"Satoshi-kun!"

Now it's getting louder… and I hear a pair of rolling trolley wheels now too… Wait a second… I jolted up from my seat, nearly spilling my coffee on my white shirt. I had been dozing off the past few minutes without realizing it… and right in front of me stood my angel – Ui Hirasawa. With a carry-on trolley in one hand and her Telecaster guitar bag slung over her shoulder, my heart raced even faster. I downed my paper coffee cup in one go to make sure I wasn't dreaming – though I might risk palpitations at this rate. However… all the reassurance I needed was this…

"Satoshi-kun!" She cried a third time, embracing me with absolute delight.

"Ui-chan!" I hugged back, looking at her beautiful face unchanged by the time we had been apart. I gently placed my hand on her shoulders and my eyes met hers, sparkling as brightly as they did back in the old days. With a smile, I whispered, "Okaeri, Ui. Welcome home."

"I'm glad to be back." She said with great relief, genuinely happy to be back here in Osaka. Holding on to each other like this was a feeling I had definitely missed – I wanted to stay with her like this forever… I wanted to stay with her forever. Which is why…

"U-Ui!" I stammered all of the sudden, letting go of her and standing stiffly like a soldier, "I've…"

Damn it! It sounded so cool in my mind, but when I put it into words, it became absolute crap. SHAMEFUL DISPLAY*, SATOSHI! GAH! I took a deep breath and tried to start this proposal thing over, however…

"It's Hirasawa-san!"

In the distance, a mob of newscasters armed with microphones and cameras were rushing in to where the two of us stood. Ui's face soured, as did mine… I already saw Ui being interrogated by the Tokyo media on the television while waiting a while ago – I'm sure she didn't want to deal with the Osaka media right now.

"Come on – I brought my car here." I said, offering my hand to the girl, "I'll get us out of here, my Princess."

"More running, my dear Prince?" Ui played along, cheering up a little bit.

"Hey, hey…" I laughed, "At least they aren't wearing black suits – or working for some freaky emotionless contractor."

"Fair enough." Ui chuckled. She took my hand and we ran away from the media mob, enjoying ourselves all the way to the parking lot. She shoved her trolley into the trunk but carefully placed Tele at the backseat – a guitar isn't something you should just throw into a car, after all. She took the passenger's seat and I took the driver's, sparing us from a Becky Black dilemma*, started the engine, then drove off to the Western Osaka District.

"Wow…" Ui sighed heavily, "That was actually sorta' fun! Haha!"

She then turned to me and tilted her head.

"Satoshi-kun? Why do you look so depressed all of the sudden?"

Why am I so depressed, you ask? Just one reason, really… that media mob attack screwed up my proposal! FUUUUUU!

Now what in the hell do I do with that bulge over here… no, not _that_ bulge – the box shaped one in my coat pocket. The other one's a different matter I won't bother (or disturb) you with today… Consider yourself lucky.

In any case… what do I do now? It took me a lot of heart to prepare and plan for this day and there it goes in an instant. To top things off, I had to endure hell of a lot of teasing from big sis Ritsu about it… '_Oh,__Satoshi-kun,__she__'__ll__be__here__in__a__week__ – __is__your__heart__ready?__Ufufufu~!__'_ It still echoes in my ears… but, it gave me an idea.

"Hey, Ui." I said, calming down a little bit. "Do you know what day it is today?"

The girl crumbled her brow in thought for a moment. Then, a bulb lit above her head.

"Ah!" Ui said happily, "Today's the Sakura-gakou Cultural Festival!"

"Right-o." I grinned, glad that she remembered the Cultural Festival… or rather, glad that I remembered the Cultural Festival. "If you're not too tired from your trip home, what do you say we swing by and watch the performances?"

"That would be great, Satoshi-kun! I wouldn't mind at all!" Ui cheered, determined to go to Sakura-gakou, "See, I'm not tired at all anymore! And maybe we'll get to see Ritsu-nee there too, huh?"

"You still call her _Ritsu-nee_ after all these years, huh?"

"You still call onee-chan as _Yui-nee_." Ui beamed, "Onee-chan told me that you called her that all throughout university and you still do!"

"Eh… but Yui-nee is…"

Crap, I called Yui-nee as Yui-nee… damn, I even think of her as Yui-nee! Is her pseudo-sisterhood to me that ingrained in me already?

"See?" Ui smirked, "I'm just matching your dedication and love, Satoshi-kun."

She then looked outside, watching one of the Japan Airlines planes take off from the now distant airport.

"That's sorta what kept me going all that time, you know."

"Ui-chan…"

The girl suddenly blushed, scratching her face as if thinking of a new topic.

"So…" she hummed, "How are things going for you and everyone else?"

"Things have been great, Ui." I said confidently, watching the town's familiar sights with my passenger as we passed them by, "Things have been great."

After graduating from High School, everyone more or less went on their separate ways. France and Mugi-senpai went to a distinguished Tokyo business school to study and stayed in the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra as the head of the strings section and the lead pianist respectively. Mio-senpai went to the all-girl's university with this Megumi Sokabe person. Yui-nee, Ritsu and I all managed to attend the National University that Manabe-senpai went to – though our grades never ever came close to hers. Then, Azusa and Jun didn't even go to university at all, choosing instead to become travelling musicians. The two girls went around the Osaka prefecture and around the Kansai area, playing as a session guitarist and bassist respectively for bands that would take them in. Of all of the members of the Light Music Club from five years ago, it would be those two who still perform in bands – come to think of it, I'm a little envious to be honest, but I have no regrets with the path I chose after leaving the grounds of Osaka West Public High School for the last time.

Nowadays, all of us are settling into our new lives.

Ritsu received a job offer from Sakura-gakou to be a teacher's assistant in the music department and she happily accepted the offer. She's got a boyfriend now too, surprisingly, a salaryman working at a local bank and they've been talking about marriage lately – didn't know that large foreheads were attractive… damn, she'd hit me if she heard me say that. Hehe… But that guy better treat nee-chan well or I'm going to fucking rage.

Yui-nee ended up going to Kyoto, landing a job as a voice actress with Kyoto Animation and sidelining as a line cook at a high-end restaurant – Ui felt really proud that she learned to cook well. The roles she's been playing have really suited her too – especially a Certain Scientific Heat-Preserver girl she's playing for a big series… I forgot what it was called… Whatever it was, Yui-nee's becoming pretty popular in her own accord and has quite the fanbase going for her. Maybe I should check donburi* for fan art. Actually… maybe I shouldn't…

Mio-senpai and Sokabe-senpai went on a trip to San Francisco earlier this year. When they came back, we all found out that the two of them had gotten married there. Francis and I spent the whole day wondering what happened when… you know. Our healthy imaginations went wild – I'll spare you from the details. The two girls right now are activists for gay and lesbian rights in Japan – and they're considering adopting a child to raise as their own.

Francis and Mugi-senpai, as we all guessed, got married the moment they graduated university – about over a year ago. Mugi-senpai became part of the board of directors of the powerful Kotobuki Corp and Francis became Vice President of Finance. He even sidelines legal advise and works to keep the crumbling yet still thrashing Platinum Group from taking over Kotobuki Corp. Outside of work, the happy couple have twins – two bouncing babies that were quite the handful, but made the two young parents absolutely happy. Francis seemed pretty happy when he said that they were planning to have more kids in the future. Ui and I didn't expect any less from these two – we wish them well, and we'll be sure to lend a hand with their kids every now and then.

I, on the other hand, ended up replacing Francis at the West Osaka District newspaper, working under the guidance of my firebrand socialist upperclassman Natsuki Shinohara. I've climbed up the ranks in the past year, reaching the rank of junior editor and earning the rights to my own column. On top of that, though, I was considering offering drum lessons at the Osaka conservatory for a little extra income and to better spend my free time. In all honesty though, maybe it's because I'm starting to miss the drum set – neither my sister of I haven't been able to play it for quite some time now.

Ui however liked the idea of me being a music teacher at the conservatory. She said that now that she was retired from her recording contract, a job like that would suit her best – guitar and vocals perhaps. She'd teach that well, I told her, and a shy smile broke out on her face – it was really cute.

Engrossed in our talks, Ui and I barely noticed us approaching those familiar walls of Sakura-gakou. Tents and stalls could be seen from the street and crowds of people were about.

"The Cultural Festival's lively as always." Ui said with a smile as I parked the car by a nearby meter. "Too bad it's getting late."

Sadly, by the time we had gotten there, the sun was already setting quickly and the stars were starting to shine in the sky. Some of the stalls were already starting to close and a lot of the vendors were already going home. However, the distinct sound of band music – a powerful electric guitar, a energetic and timely bass, a steady drum. It was about this time that the Light Music Club would be performing at the auditorium.

"We can probably still catch the concert if we hurry!" I said, getting out of the car with Ui, "Let's go!"

The two of us walked with quick steps and weaved our way through the crowd. The layout of the cultural festival and the school may have changed a little bit over the years, but our feet remembered the way as if it were second nature to us. We reached the auditorium and slipped inside to find it filled with people. There were no seats left there for us, but we didn't mind standing – we were more than happy to watch the band of the joint Osaka-West/Sakura-gakou Light Music Club perform with fiery hearts.

I turned my eyes to Ui beside me and saw her watch the show with gleeful eyes. Maybe now would be a good time, I thought. I stuck my hand into my pocket and fished out the box I had been holding on to and hiding since this afternoon. However, just as I was pulling it out, the box slipped from my hand and tumbled to the sides. Crap! Of all the times to fumble… I bent over to pick up the box, but… someone picked it up before me.

"Nice box, bro." A familiar smirking voice called, "Weren't you supposed to be taking care of this?"

I looked up and saw my sister Ritsu, wearing some casual everyday clothes and an ID highlighted with 'STAFF'. Unlike before, she wore her hair down and her headband was nowhere to be seen. Having her hair down like that made her look like a whole new person, but that confident smirk of hers quickly reminds me who this person was – the large forehead helped too.

"Hey!" she complained immediately, "Why are you looking at my forehead like that?"

"Nothing much." I said, turning away and trying to act innocent.

"Anyways," Ritsu asked, folding her arms, "What brings you here…?"

My sister leaned forward and saw Ui standing beside me, enthralled by the performance. When she saw Ritsu looking at her, she turned to give her a quick wave. Ritsu waved back with the hand holding onto the box – luckily, she noticed and waved with her other hand instead.

"I see why you're here now." Ritsu said, returning the box to me, "Good luck, bro."

"Thanks." I said with a nod, pocketing the box again. "We'll leave after this song, then…"

"Wait, wait…" Ritsu said shaking her head, "Stay for a little while longer – two more songs, okay?"

"Eh-? But I…"

"Just stay put, Satoshi-kun." Ritsu reassured with a smile, "You'll understand soon enough."

While I was still wondering what Ritsu meant, the next song started to play. They were going to play a cover of '_Oui!__Ai__Kotoba__'_. One of their members even brought out a violin for the song, hah! After that, they would be playing '_Fuwa__Fuwa__Time__'_. Whoa… seriously?

"These are the first songs of the two bands that have inspired us." The lead vocalist said, her voice happy and sincere, "If it weren't for these two bands, and if it weren't for the help of Tainaka-sensei and Sawa-chan, we wouldn't have been able to make our own first song as a band!"

Tainaka-sensei and Sawa-chan, huh? Seems that old nickname stuck to Sawa-chan. I bet she's disappointed by that…

"So, here's to the legendary bands Hokago Tea Time and Okaeri!" The vocalist of the Light Music Club then cheered, "This is for all the inspiration you've given us!"

The band started to play those old songs of ours and I found myself awestruck – in a good way. Ui and I embraced each other as we watched and Ritsu leaned back against the wall with a satisfied look on her face. We ended up listening to both songs and the rest of the songs the third generation of the Light Music Club had in store for the audience that night.

After the show ended, a standing ovation greeted the Light Music Club. The boys and girls of Sakura-gakou and Osaka West wore wide smiles. Some of them were even in tears – shedding tears of happiness. It was very nostalgic…

"So now, you two…" Ritsu said, laying a hand on my shoulder and Ui's, "Big sis has to stay late and clean up around here – I'll have a chat with you two later, so drive home safely."

"Drive home?" I asked, "What about you?"

"I'm gonna walk, duh!"

"Ergh… you're the one staying late here, nee-chan." I said, taking out the car keys, "Here."

"Eh? Satoshi-kun?"

"You take the car home." I said to her, "I'll bring Ui to our house and we'll wait for you there – her things still are in the car, you see."

Ritsu was a little bit skeptical at first, wondering if I was just using her as a valet person (though that wouldn't be 99% wrong), but she finally understood what it was I wanted to do.

"Ah…" Ritsu said, a smile forming on her face, "Gotcha – she'd love to walk home from Sakura-gakou at least once more, huh?"

"Plus it's gonna get pretty cold later tonight, I heard." I added considerately, "If you're staying late, then you'd better take the car – you don't want to get sick again now, do you?"

"The Cultural Festival's over, kiddo! You're not hoping about cross-dressing again now, are you?" Ritsu laughed, making me roll my eyes. "But thanks, little bro!"

Ui and I bid Ritsu farewell and the two of us started to walk home side by side. Under the moonlight, she and I traced the steps we had used to take so often a long time ago with smiles on our faces. Walking like this with the girlfriend I had waited for five years to return felt like a dream. It reminded me of that time, on this very moonlit path, when I asked Ui to become my girlfriend. Definitely, this time, I'll ask her.

Reaching for the box one last time, I gently took it out, opened it to expose the ring then lifted it up before me with both hands. I grunted and groaned, drawing Ui's attention and acting as if I was holding onto something big and heavy. Just like that big teddy bear I had held on to then, I was holding on to all of the love I had gained since the day she and I became a couple – a ton of fluff, rainbows and happiness compressed into a small ring. Ui held her breath, overcome by her happiness.

This time, the words flowed from my mouth – no – from my heart, free and earnest.

"Ui… all these years, I've loved you will all of my heart. Even if we've been far away, I felt as if you and I have never left my side…"

"Satoshi-kun…"

"Now… I want to assure you that I will never leave your side. Not ever – not again."

"Satoshi-kun." Ui said, tears welling up in her eyes, "Not once did I ever feel that you left me. We're the same – I always felt like you were there with me. Every performance I did, every album I recorded, every tour I went on – you were there with me, supporting me, cheering for me… and reminding me to follow my heart."

Those words caught me off guard. My chest tightened and my heart had skipped a beat. Ui had spoken earnestly too – straight from her heart. It made me feel happy – truly happy. Which is why I can say…

"Ui. Will you marry me?"

She then turned to me with pleasant delight. Ui wasn't surprised by my proposal –rather ,it was as if she had been waiting for it all her life. A gentle wind blew through the street, strengthening our resolve.

"Satoshi-kun. I'd be happy to marry you."

At that moment, I was just about ready to jump and leap for joy! It was quite a tough job putting the ring on Ui's finger, especially if my hands were all shaky from excitement. Once it was on, the two of us slowly came together for a kiss. If these were my final moments, they would have been my greatest ever. I would have died happily. However… My body, however, had other ideas. Something… not so fulfilling and whatnot…

_**Gurrrrrrgleeeeee~!**_

God. Damnit. My stomach roared like a beast. I felt terribly ashamed. Ui however was still smiling.

"We're going to your house for now, right? I guess I should fix you up something to eat while we're there, dear."

"That would be good." I frowned, slumping forward gloomily for ruining the mood… but then… "dear?"

"What is it, dear?" Ui asked happily, now giving me a peck on the cheek. She really called me 'dear'.

"Erm, Ui-chan, that's…"

Marriage nicknames already? I already have enough of that with Francis calling Mugi-senpai 'honey' and Mugi-senpai calling Francis 'sweetie'… And I wondered why I don't add sugar when I have tea at their house anymore…

"Don't worry, dear!" Ui assured with a cheerful tone, "I'll make anything you like… oh! And I'll make something for Ritsu-nee too. You're always looking out for her, aren't you Satoshi-ku… erm, dear!"

"You know, you don't have to force it." I chuckled, "Whether you call me 'dear' or 'Satoshi-kun', I'll be happy."

"Alright then, Satoshi dearest!"

Heh, that's an entirely new combination, Ui… I'm still not completely comfortable with this names thing, but I guess it ain't so bad… Ui – you're way too cute!

"Let's go home, Ui. I can't wait to eat the food you make again!"

* * *

**Full Court Press!**

* * *

Additional Notes:

SHAMEFUL DISPLAY* - The battle advisor in Shogun II: Total War cries this out if one of your battle units is broken

Black dilemma* - Kick in the front seat? Kick in the back seat? I want to kick your face, Becky Black, really badly.

Donburi* - Danbooru. Enter at your own risk.

…


End file.
